The Bottom of the Swimming Pool

On a Sunday morning many years ago, I was brushing my teeth in the bathroom when Scott, my teenage stepson, barged in.

“I don’t know if there’s anything wrong,” he said, “but the housekeeper just jumped into the swimming pool at the deep end, and now she’s at the bottom of the pool.”

It took me a few seconds to process that. Then, even though I was completely naked, I raced to the pool, dove in, and dragged the waterlogged woman to the side of the pool.

Meanwhile, Scott was on the phone with the 911 operator relaying instructions to my wife Susan on how to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

A few minutes later the ambulance arrived to take her to the emergency room.  Fortunately, she was okay.

But talk about a shock. Evidently, the housekeeper had decided not to take the day off, and Susan had loaned her a swimsuit.  But the housekeeper did not know how to swim, and for some reason jumped into the deep end of the pool anyway.

Before this experience I always assumed that adults knew their limitations, although I flashed back to an experience I had as a kid when I was walking through our kitchen to the dining room, carrying an open umbrella.

“What are you doing?”  Mom asked.

“This is my parachute.  I’m going to jump off the balcony.”

My mother’s face turned ashen, and she grabbed my umbrella.  “No, you’re not.”  She was seldom that firm.  But seven-year-olds are not known for their mature judgment.  I’m sure Mom saved me from death or injury many times.

The lesson I learned from the swimming pool incident was this – never take good judgment for granted.  People are always capable of doing things that defy all logic. Even on a languid Sunday morning.

Alan