No, Ron, no big deal.

There is a legend about the eleventh century Danish king, Canute the Great. He is perhaps best remembered for his sitting on the beach and commanded the waves to recede.

According to the legend, he grew tired of flattery from his courtiers. When one such flatterer gushed that the king could even command the obedience of the sea, Canute attempted to proved him wrong by practical demonstration. He had his throne moved to the beach where he sat and ordered the tide to recede. Of course, it did not obey him. The point he was attempting to make was that even a king's powers have limits. Unfortunately, this legend is often misunderstood to mean that he believed himself so powerful that the natural elements would obey him, and that his failure to command the tides only made him look foolish.

Thus, like King Canute, sitting on my throne at the water's edge, I command the tide to recede, but of course, again like he, I am fully aware of the futility of my rant.

Don Firth