When I was growing up in Winter Haven, Florida, the city had a Volunteer Lifesaving Corps, and my sister Linda and I served on it for four summers each. I don’t know if it’s still in existence, but it was well run, and our members guarded beaches at lakes around town.
After passing the required Red Cross courses, we went through initiation by the lifeguards at Daytona Beach. We had to jump off the end of the pier, swim a half-mile parallel to the beach, and then come in. During my swim, a great gray shape surfaced beside me and I looked over to see the curious eye of a large porpoise. He wouldn’t let me touch him, but he escorted me to the turn-in point. I felt very protected, knowing a porpoise can kill a shark.
One of my granddaughters is working as a lifeguard this summer in Atlanta, and I dug out old pictures from those days. I found this hilarious one I call Awkward Lifeguards. I’m on the left, in all my 16-year-old gawky glory, apparently trying to affect a glamorous pose. Linda, 18, is on the right, unprepared for the photo with her eyes closed.
#thegirlwhotalkedtoomuch. #americangoverness
Ann Dickinson Sargent 