Oh, summer. Those hot and heavy months of chlorinated days and lemonade-soaked nights. For many, it means a welcome reprieve from the day-to-day monotony of school. To most, however, it means work. Whether you work full time year round or you have a part-time job for the summer (or two), one of the most common jobs for teenagers and college students is that of a lifeguard.
Unsurprisingly, we don't spend a whole lot of time actually saving lives. Instead, it's mostly preventative observing and enforcing pool rules. Still, you never know what could save a life!
Here are a few struggles lifeguards know too well:
1. That feeling of dread when a group of preteen boys comes into the pool area...
You just know they're there to cause trouble. Even if they're good kids when they come alone or with their parents, when it's a group of them, they rile each other up and there's no controlling them. Ohhhhh boy.
2. When the chlorine raises inexplicably from one hour to the next
I checked it at 1 and it was at a 4.5 but at 3 it's a 6? Should I call a supervisor? Should I be worried that I'm not as good at using DBD as I should be?
3. That small flood of relief when it's time for adult swim
Even if you have to clean up the deck or restock the bathrooms, anything that gets you out of the sun and your uncomfortable chair is a welcome reprieve.
4. When pools don't have umbrellas
Oh, you don't have an umbrella for the lifeguard stand? Don't mind me while I bake in the sun for 8 hours. No amount of sunscreen can protect against that kind of exposure.
5. That glorious moment when you finish your closing duties within 15 minutes or less
Even better if you get it done before your shift ends!
6. You're weirdly soothed by vacuuming the pool
Unlike indoor vacuuming, there's no noise and all you do is watch the dirt on the bottom of the pool slowly disappear. Just push, and it's gone. IT'S SO SATISFYING.
7. You can't help but have a few favorite patrons
After all, when there are families that come every day you're working, you get to know them pretty well. You know you're on a whole different level when the kids call you by your first name.
8. You have an awesome tan
... even if it only looks good when you're in your guard uniform.
9. You can't help but feel like a super hero every so often
Whether it's helping put on a bandaid, checking bug bites or actually performing a save, you out of all people know how important lifeguards are. Who else on the pool deck is willing and able clean the pool, balance chemistry, scrub the bathrooms, and keep kids in check? And there's always that magical moment when a small child asks if you've ever saved someone. If you can say "yes" and you can tell them the story, that wonder and awe in their eyes is worth all those sweaty hours and miscalculated chemicals.
