Swimming lesson

I am a certified Baby Boomer, so when I grew up in the 1960s there were nearly three zillion kids in my neighborhood.

Nearby was a public pool that offered free swimming lessons each summer. Most of us kids begged to attend those lessons, and most of us did.

This was just a medium sized pool, not equipped to hold a full neighborhood. Sometimes there were so many of us, it heated the water, which brings me to my story.

One day, I was standing in water near the pool’s edge, when I saw a small green object. It was a medium sized frog, swimming freestyle around the edges.

But the frog wasn’t there for the lessons. It apparently wanted out. What could I do?

I walked over to the frog, cradled it in my hands, and lifted it onto the edge. Since this water contained chemicals, I probably saved that amphibian.

But he sat on the edge for a minute, then jumped back into the pool. Again, I cradled him to help him escape, but he surprised me.

As you probably know, some frogs secrete a substance that makes them slippery. That frog slid out of my hand, and back into the water.

I kept chasing him around the pool, and he kept evading me until – suddenly – he got sucked into the filter.

That’s the day I learned that – like that frog – some people don’t realize when the water’s too deep. And they don’t pay attention to those who offer help.

Then, suddenly they realize that jumping into hot water constantly can be very draining.