Working as a lifeguard at Raging Waters may be the most painful way to spend eight hours, but I had committed to being there for the better part of my summer. Standing in extreme heat with hardly any shade, constantly scanning the water for a potential emergency, and only being allowed one thirty minute lunch, the time dragged by. I can not imagine a day more tiring and dull. To overcome the unexpected conditions that came with the job, I had to find ways to keep myself from falling asleep to ensure I was fulfilling my responsibility. We rotated positions on the deck every thirty minutes, but it was each individual time segment that required that I stay continuously aware of the surroundings. My favorite distractions were singing songs to myself …show more content…
She looked like she did not have adequate swimming ability, so I made an extra effort to observe her as she progressed toward the play structure that stretched across the pool. Waters were calm, but deep, and while it didn’t seem like much was going on, I knew that things could go badly within seconds and I had to be attentive. When it was the little girl’s turn, and even before she was able to get a good grip on the first set of ropes, she dropped into the water at a depth of five feet, well over her head. As I suspected she was unable to swim and screamed for help. Reacting quickly, I blew my whistle loudly to alert the other guards nearby that I had to make a rescue. Jumping into the water with my tube in front of me, I hurriedly swam over to the girl handing her the buoy. She grabbed on tightly and began to gasp for air. It took a few minutes, but once I brought her to safety, and even though I knew she was grateful, she quickly jumped out of the pool and ran away, almost as if nothing had happened. As I went back to my position, full of adrenaline, I reflected on how odd it was to save a life when neither she nor her parents gave the event, nor me, a second thought. I don’t think they knew how close she had come to drowning but I felt proud of myself. I had been prepared, alert and ready. I had actually saved a life. I never could have imagined that working