How SO Saved My Life and Became My Hero

This past weekend, we were swimming at a friend's house. Everyone was challenged to exercise, do laps in the pool, and really get-in-shape. Well, to tell you the truth, we were about to have a huge feast and just wanted to work-off the guilt. We had hoped to feel okay about stuffing our faces after we burned-up some calories in the pool.

Before I go any further, I need to confess my deficiencies, or else, on a pink (is it less possible than blue?) moon night my SO might come on SelfSagacity.com and confess for me. Yes, he likes to talk about me, especially things I don't particularly find important to tell anyone about. Does your spouse do that too? Okay, SO is just strange then.

My confession: I am not a swimmer...I can move around in the water...but I don't get very far. His version would be: "I would hardly call it swimming", "she still needs a lot of work", "I had to save her." He doesn't even read my blog, so this is just evidence that I admitted my lack of ability.

I took a swimming class, which started that week, to learn to swim so that I can hang-out with my family. The biggest reason was for my health, I wanted to lose a few pounds and lose the beta blocker. Four days into it, I was feeling really good with my accomplishments. I even dove in bravely after being in the hot tub, and swam a few laps already.

Then I did something I knew I shouldn't, I pushed and kept going. I went for the deep end and then I totally lost it. I went down several times and saw life flash. I called out to SO in my thoughts: "now would be a good time to jump in and save me from drinking more pool water, please!" After what seemed like an eternity of life warning signs, and thoughts of being resuscitated by mouth to mouth, and someone pumping my stomach like the Bay Watch show, I finally got shoved to the edge of the pool. When you're old and tired, don't take it for granted that you can do something that you could have in your teens or twenties...I don't know what I was thinking, but I could probably used a boost of brain cells in that moment.

And that was How SO Saved My Life and Became My Hero. He's been my hero in many other ways, but now, I can truly see him as "my life saving hero."

Here are Thursday Two Questions #147:
1) Has anyone ever saved your life, how?
2) Have you ever saved anyone's life, how?

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16 Comments

Theresa MahoneyAugust 7, 2013 at 7:52 PM
How scary! Glad hubby was there to pull you out! It's amazing that a surge of confidence can get us in trouble in seconds. Happy you are ok!
Cathy KennedyAugust 8, 2013 at 3:02 AM
I know precisely just how scary your experience was. Years ago, when we were first married, DH & I went to one of those ocean-like pools. You know the kind that created continuous waves that NEVER end. Anyhow, I slipped off my inflatable raft that I was holding onto for dear life. The waves crashed over my head, over and again pushing under the water. I struggled to grab my lifeline, but it kept moving farther and farther away from me. And, like you it felt like an eternity as I fought against push and pull of the water barely able to keep my head above the surface till someone shoved my floater into my hands. I didn't see the person and had no clue who it could've been amongst the sea of people in the water that day, but I was ever grateful to my unknown hero, then I got the heck out of that crazy water.

I don't know, if you can call this saving someone's life. But, I felt somewhat like a hero even though no one said that much to me about it. One summer day, I had to go to the post office or store for my mom. We lived in a rural community. If kids wanted to go some place, they either walked or rode their bikes. Anyhow, there I was minding my own business walking on the hardtop (road) when I came upon a toddler who was also walking on the road. This was no place for an unsupervised tot to be. I wildly looked around for his parents, but I didn't any adults anywhere. I took the wee one by the hand, and went to the most likely home the child could have come from, knocked on the door, and asked if this kid belonged to them. The oddest thing about it is, no one was alarmed that I found their baby in the road and no one gave even as much of a pep of thanks that I had just rescued (in my mind) this child from being ran over by a vehicle. Traffic wasn't a huge problem in those days, but we had many coal truckers going through there all the time and you know, it would have been difficult for the driver to see a small child in the cab of his coal truck.

Well, I've turned my comment into a mini-novel, Amanda. I hope you don't mind, but I have never been one to give a short answer. lol Thanks for hosting T2Q!
Icy BCAugust 8, 2013 at 6:30 AM
Oh my gosh..You're lucky, he is around and pays attention to you. If it was my X, I would probably died 2 days before he realized that I was missing.

When I was younger, my savior was an American soldier who saved my life by taking me to the hospital when I was left alone with my sickness. There are a few more people, but he stood out.

I don't think I have ever saved anyone yet!
betchaiAugust 8, 2013 at 12:25 PM
oh, glad you are all okay thus this post. i was in a similar situation like you too when i was in my teens, i was so confident that i learned how to swim that i went from shallow to deep end ( i usually dive from deep then swim to shallow end of the pool), what i failed to realize before doing it, i have not practiced my turn at the deep end ( since I was used swimming from deep end to shallow end, when i reached the shallow end, I would stand up, get out from the pool, and walk back to the deep end). Anyhow, when I reached the deep end, instead of reaching for something to hold, I did what I was used to, I attempted to stand, but realized I could not! I panicked, and drank lots of pool water, prayed and prayers someone to see me and save me. Luckily, someone did saw me, and saved me!

I could not remember saving someone.
UnknownAugust 8, 2013 at 1:47 PM
I am so glad that you survived that ordeal. He is a Hero indeed! I can't swim and would like to learn as it would be very good for my health at this time. Thanks for the advice that one should not take any risks. No one has ever had to save my life but I hope if that day comes around I will he lucky to have a Hero around!:) Thanks a lot for hosting and enjoy the rest of your week.
RuthiAugust 8, 2013 at 4:04 PM
We have one thing in common... great swimmer. LOL I'm not good in swimming too and for some reasons I am scared of water. But like you I want to get in shape too but unlike you... I rather run than swimming. Yes, I got saved by someone years ago when I drown [that would be the reason why I am not a fan of swimming]. And glad that I was saved or else I am making this comment. wink* Happy Weekend to you.
Anne Lyken-GarnerAugust 12, 2013 at 7:31 AM
That must have been scary. I had this exact experience - twice! I can't really swim but was messing about in the water when I was about 16. My sister saved me after I saw my life flash in front of me. Another time, I was about 20 and was holidaying in Barbados. Same thing happened again and a stranger in the water saved my life.
UnknownAugust 14, 2013 at 6:46 PM
Once when I was home on leave from the military my aunt collapsed on the bathroom floor. Just having completed cpr classes, I performed cpr and was rewarded when she revived. Many many years later my youngest died in my arms after a febrile seizure. He turned blue, rigid and his eyes rolled back into his head. I performed infant cpr and watched as the color came back to his cheeks and he let out a lusty cry. Whew!! I feel that God has saved my life a few times but don't remember a human performing the feat - lucky you. That's love.

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