Life's work.(From the Editor)

You could say aquatics saved my life. I was about 5 years old at the time, staying with my family at a hotel with a pool. I hadn't vet learned how to swim, so I was playing in the shallow end while my older brothers, who could swim, splashed around in the deep end.

Somehow I decided to move closer to them, and that's when it happened. In a flash, I slipped into the deep end and my world became a watery panic. I remember going under once, twice, thrashing and yelling "Help!" each time. I thought no one heard me, no one saw me, no one could save me. And then someone's arms were around me, towing me back to the land of the living. It was a woman who knew a little something about life saving. I don't even remember her name, but it was a lesson I never forgot.

Back in my hometown, I started taking swimming lessons. Later, I joined the junior lifeguard program, where I learned how to blow my pants up into a life vest, among other skills. I've spent many happy summer days in public pools, lakes and oceans, and I still enjoy swimming whenever I can.

Now the lessons I've learned are coming full circle. Just ...