by Tiffany Hammond, assistant editor
Having been a lifeguard for two years now, I’ve learned some things from my surroundings and what I go through on a daily basis at the pool. For instance, if you give a child a free snow-cone gift certificate, she’s going to think you are her best friend, and that it is okay to tell all of the other lifeguards you are her sister and follow you around to each stand and steal your flip-flops and splash you because it’s funny—all you need to know in life, right? Well, if that’s not enough, I learned some other lessons, too.
For starters, too many people are self-conscious about their bodies and appearance. Girls walk around with their arm slung halfway across their body awkwardly just to cover some skin; people layer clothes over their bathing suits so nothing will be revealed (FYI people, white t-shirts are no good at covering anything when wet.) It seems like such a hassle to worry about your body when everybody else has one and theirs is just as exposed in a pool setting. After watching the few carefree people run around, chasing each other (NO RUNNING AT THE POOL) and having a good time without constantly pulling their shirt down, I concluded that we must learn to accept our bodies, and even if we aspire to become fitter or healthier, we cannot demean and insult the body we presently have instead of enjoying a moment—maybe one at the pool. Don’t get me wrong, I understand what it is like to have insecurities, but wearing a bathing suit forty hours out of the week and watching the people who are occupied with covering themselves versus the people letting loose made me realize that focusing on insecurities is simply not worth it.
I’ve also learned that rewarding yourself is important and even necessary. I met a woman one day, while I was on top slide, who kept going down and down and down the slide. She is an older woman, maybe in her sixties, who is usually found in the lap swim lanes—until she’s done with her workout, that is. She explained to me that after every swim she always rewards herself with the slide as her “cool down”: ten times shooting down the yellow, twisty slide at rocket speed, laughing all the way. I admire this woman and her “work hard, play hard” attitude. Life is tough as it is, and she reminded me that we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves and that we need to pat ourselves on the back every once and a while. We cannot forget to reward ourselves; life should be a mix between challenging yourself and having fun. With that being said, let me tell you, Sonic’s Butterfinger Blast is better than usual after working a twelve hour shift.
The third lesson I learned at the pool came about more seriously than any other. I was on stand, scanning my water, which was packed full of people who had rented it out for a birthday party. One moment a little girl, probably three years old, was jumping up and down on a bench in the pool, and the next she had slipped off the bench and found herself not being able to touch the bottom.
Her terror-stricken face said everything: eyes HUGE, looking at me so helplessly, as her head tried to stay atop the water. I immediately blew my whistle one long time to signal an active drowning, and rushed off stand to grab her. Her parents were unaware of the entire incident. Their child could have died. I pulled her out of the pool, and she stayed silent. Other lifeguards got paperwork that needed to be filled out.
I got back on stand. And that was that. My first save. Just thinking about that young girl’s face makes me stop and reevaluate life. She was so small and vulnerable and death could have pulled her away right then. In no way am I trying to portray myself as some kind of hero. My main point here is how precious life is—we don’t realize how striking death can be until we see it in the simplest situations. I realize that thinking about death all the time in order to appreciate life is not the answer; however, recognizing how valuable life is and being grateful for it is important to do. Take time to be thankful for the beauty of life and what it has to offer.
Finally, don’t forget to drink plenty of water while in the sun! Or else you may pass out at the pool… but that’s a different story.
