Growing up is a weird topic to discuss. I'm not really sure how to choose a moment where I became an adult, mostly because I'm pretty sure I'm not an adult yet. I've had a couple of coming-of-age moments, like my bar mitzvah, but I can't really think of a particular time when I've grown up.

Considering I don't have a particular moment, I will just write about something that changed my life and made me more responsible. My first real job was (and is) as a lifeguard at Moriello Pool in town. Lifeguarding has got to be one of the best possible jobs for a teenager; spending time in the sun, hanging out with nice people, lots of breaks, and good pay (for a teenager at least). But lifeguarding also has some very serious downsides with it. Working at McDonalds, if you screw up, somebody gets a large fries instead of a medium. But when lifeguarding, if you screw up, people can die. I remember that sinking in, realizing that lives depended on my vigilance and training as a guard, and it scared the living crap out of me. For the first few weeks of last summer, when I started working at the pool, I was nervous every time I worked because I didn't have confidence that I could save a life.

That all changed one day in July. I was at the standing guard position, which involves me standing near the pool (duh). It was a blistering, sunny day and the pool was overrun. I was occupied by a large group of middle schoolers who thought they were cool and were jumping over each other and doing other stupid things, which caused me to reprimand them with my whistle. After returning to my post, I noticed a young boy who was flailing around on the surface of the water. This happens all the time, kids fooling around and splashing, even sometimes kids who shout 'help, I'm drowning' and pretend to drown. We usually have a little chat with their parents if this happens, or if they're older we throw them out of the pool. Thus, I observed the kid for a little bit to see if he was fooling or if he was serious.

After a few seconds, I could tell he was actually struggling to stay above water. He wasn't very far from the wall, so I threw him my rescue tube and pulled him to the wall, then told him not to enter water above his chest again. It was an easy save; I barely even needed to move, and I didn't need to activate the Emergency Action Plan. But I reacted quickly and efficiently, and I know that I can do it again, even in a more serious and life-threatening situation. That simple save helped me gather my confidence, even though hardly anyone around me noticed.

This year I am a full-time lifeguard at Moriello, and I feel confident in my skills as a lifeguard. I review rescue skills at the pool and I can relax and enjoy my job a lot more than before, but I also feel a lot more ready and attentive than before.