Prompt

Summer Has Not Been Cancelled

Lifeguards are on duty

I held my breath during June

Too many bad things had happened. I was deeply concerned that July 4th would erupt into civil disobedience met by violent counter attacks by police. That didn’t happen. I didn’t hear one police or ambulance siren during the day or night.

Thank-you citizens. Thank-you police. Thank-you world. I witnessed a miracle.

But there was another miracle

A few days earlier, I noticed two women patrolling the public beach. They were wearing the same city employee blue t-shirt which. I also noticed that the swimming area buoys were in place on the lake.

“Summer has not been cancelled,” I called out to them.

The older woman approached me. “Summer has not been cancelled. Starting July 1st, this beach is open from 12 to 8 pm daily. There will be two life guards on duty at all times.”

She was the head of the city lifeguard program and took the time to explain how the cohort had been selected. They were low-income youth who had participated in a special skills and leadership program. From this pool, they were chosen for the lifeguard program.

I saw them having lunch together a few days later and they are a close-knit bunch. She went on to say many people from the midwest join the Navy (even though there is no ocean in sight) because they love the water and learned to swim here.

But for now, they patrol the beach and scan the swimming zone, doing a silent head count. They are checking to see if the same number of heads come up as went down. It’s so hard to tell people apart once they get wet.

When the crowd is big, one patrols beyond the buoys in a kayak.

They are so young to take on such responsibility, but they’ve got what it takes to keep people safe. They zero in on the wanderers and guide them back to families who don’t realize how fast it can happen.

Access to water may not be a right, but it is important

Cities and towns make sure there is boat access and designate swimming beaches, but they often can’t afford lifeguards. That’s why there are signs about risk.

The state I live in is famous for it’s 10,000 lakes. I want it known as the state of 10,000 opportunities — starting with water. I want families to have the same chances to spend time at a lake that I had growing up. *

But we still need the lifeguards.

I cry every time I learn of a child drowning. I know it’s because they didn’t know how to swim or weren’t wearing a life preserver or simply didn’t realize how fast drowning happens.

Learning about water starts with splashing just for fun. But more people have a job on the water because of people who want to have fun in the water.

Right now, I feel hopeful, because lifeguards are on duty.

*Even though I haven’t swum in a lake for 20 years, I have such happy memories. Please share your water story and a job you had because of it.

• The joy of learning to float without a life preserver.
• Learning to swim by dog paddling to the end of the dock without touching the bottom.
• Learning to dive instead of doing a cannonball.
• Learning to row, canoe, or sail.
• How to start an outboard motor on a fishing boat and crossing the lake — in a life preserver.