I love this next story because it resonates with just about everybody.
The San Francisco Chronicle carried a front-page article about a female humpback whale who had gotten herself tangled in a web of fishing lines and crab traps about twenty-six miles from the Golden Gate Bridge.
The whale was trying to pull hundreds of pounds of traps and ropes out to sea. It was clear she was going to die soon.
A rescue team arrived. The prognosis was as obvious as it was heartbreaking. There was talk of putting the whale down.
Finally, it was decided the only way to save the whale was for all of the rescuers to get in the water and try to untangle the whale by hand. This was definitely a Hail Mary.
The response team worked for half a day using curved knives and their bare hands. News helicopters began to show up and circle overhead. Finally, close to nightfall, the volunteers worked a miracle. They beat all of the impossible odds.
They had freed the whale.
What happened next surprised and shocked every one of these very wet and tired men and women. A second miracle took place.
When she was free, the whale didn’t rush out to sea. Instead, she swam around and around her rescuers in joyous circles. The whale came up to each and every diver one at a time. She nudged them, pushed them gently—maybe as her way of thanking them. What else could it have been?
Several of the rescuers wept and later said it was the most incredibly beautiful moment of their lives.
They said they would never be the same after the experience.
And that is the best story I’ve ever heard to explain how it feels when you do a good deed and help somebody. You’ll never be the same after the experience.