When I retired at the beginning of 2022, I did not picture myself sitting in a chair looking down at the deep end of a pool, blowing the whistle to keep kids from running on the pool deck. 
	Let me back up. Last summer I helped out at a week of family camp a mere 20 miles from home. My grandkids’ other grandma graciously agreed to bring them up to the camp so they could spend the afternoon enjoying the facilities with me—canoeing, swimming, ropes course. While we were in the pool, I looked at one of the lifeguards and remembered that certified staff were hard to come by. What if I got trained to do it so I could help out?
	After Christmas I watched for the lifeguard training class to be offered at the YMCA, and I signed up. As the oldest in the class by far, I felt a little silly, but the instructor reassured me that someone 12 years my senior had met the requirements, so there was no reason I couldn’t do it.
	It was challenging. The first aid protocols were simple enough to learn, even though the volume of information was extensive. There are a lot of scenarios to prepare for. The physical strength and stamina required to rescue unconscious people were the hardest. Good thing I am reasonably in shape and swim regularly.  But I did as well as my younger classmates, and I was proud to achieve certification. This grandma isn’t done yet!
	Along with helping at the camp on Lake East Okoboji, I also substitute at the Y, because they also need all the help they can get. It is a little boring watching people swim laps and the ladies in Aquacise class. But I’ve made a few new friends, and it feels good so support the YMCA’s mission.
	The pool at the camp is where I have to be especially alert. I had to toss my tube to a boy five minutes after I started on the first day. Thankfully, I haven’t had to do it since then, but the potential for a crisis is far greater than at the Y.
	What surprises me is that I love it as much as I do. I look forward to joining the lifeguard of the day to skim the bugs and leaves off the pool and wait for the kids to come. When they get there, they are so happy. I get to watch children when they are playing with abandon, making silly poses as they jump off the diving board. Laughing at each other when they belly flop. Diving for goggles that fell off. Screaming, “There’s a frog in the pool!!!”  (It was an inch long, and we helped it back to safety.) Exploding off the slide into the water. Seeing who can get the lifeguard (me) the wettest with their cannonballs.
	It’s just fun. And here’s the thing. I’m doing ONE thing. I cannot be on my phone, even if there is only one adult in the lap pool at the Y. I have to be fully present, and that is a good thing for me to practice. And whether I am at the Y or the camp, I am watching other people be fully alive in the moment too. 
	That is worth whatever I spend on sunscreen and gas, whatever time I can devote to it when the YMCA aquatic director texts me to fill a shift. I am thankful that trying this new thing has not only led to usefulness, but also joy.