October 18, 2002

Lifeguards are my heroes.; They are willing to put on a bathing suit EVERY single day, rain or shine.; They continuously risk their skin to the elements (not to mention comments behind their backs)!; They have to deal with pool hair for an entire summer (look out if you bleach).; They agree to live in flip-flops and to skim unidentifiable objects from the pool.; Oh yeah, they also save lives.; The public pools finest are constantly in training, being reviewed (by their bosses), scrutinized and critiqued (by swimmers and their parents).; Did I mention that they save lives?!?!?!

;You definitely don’t get rich being a security guard to the water and unless you are working the sunny beaches of California, it is not considered an elite position.; But this is where the hero part comes in.; Lifeguards cannot be paid to like kids.; You cannot teach them to tolerate children all day.You cannot teach lifeguards to teach or to care.This is a gift that is strengthened by years of training.; The journey is long and includes lots of swimming lessons, training in the pool and numerous life saving courses.; You could say that it is a calling.; For some it is a year-round calling and for others it is a summer gig.Anyway you look at it; it takes a special type of person to don little more than a second skin for work everyday.

; Back