Ruminations from a Lifeguard Stand

Authors

Lauren Mock

Abstract

Nothing brings me peace quite like sunlight hitting pool water. Something about the shimmering lattice pattern it casts on the cerulean pool bottom transports me to a mental realm where joy and freedom abound. Then, a cloud comes in and reminds me that I’m sitting eight feet in the air on a rickety lifeguard stand for a whopping hourly wage of $7.25, and the peace is gone. Screaming children run rampant, their parents blissfully oblivious as they chat with their feet dangling into the country-club-heated water. The resounding metallic clang of the diving board reverberates through my ears, followed by a dramatic splash. My fellow lifeguards who are lucky enough to be on their break scroll on their phones under the extended roof of the poolhouse, sheltered from the sweltering heat, munching on chips and chocolate bars likely stolen from the snack stand...

Recommended Citation

Mock, Lauren (2023) "Ruminations from a Lifeguard Stand," The Peregrine Review: Vol. 36, Article 52.
Available at: https://mosaic.messiah.edu/peregrinereview/vol36/iss1/52