It was a typical day at the pool. The sky was blue and I had my goggles, visor, sunglasses, and kickboard. Business as usual. Get my one hour of swimming ??♀️ in, a little Vitamin D from the sun ?, and work my tan.
As part of my personal development, I’ve been leaning into a greater level of listening. We call it Level 3 or Global listening which taps into your intuition, picking up emotions and sensing signals in the environment. You trust your instincts of what’s happening in the space.
Back to the pool….when I arrived there was one person relaxing on a lounge chair. Hi Tanya (Name changed)! Hi Julie, another beautiful day. Me: Yep…..and splish-splash, into the pool I went. Tanya left her lounge chair and joined me in the pool a few minutes later. As I was swimming, I said to myself, Tanya seems a bit off. She typically has more energy and quite the social butterfly around the pool and courts. In fact, she was the one who encouraged me to start playing tennis ? again after 40 years.
Me: I haven’t seen you on the courts lately? Tanya: Oh….I’ve been resting and took some time off getting used to some medications.
My intuition told me to stay above water? so I could keep an eye on her. I did the breaststroke and kept my eye ? on her as I approached the deep end of the pool. As I took a quick peak to the left, I saw hands flailing in the air and heard a cry for help.
It was as if I knew this was going to happen. A deep knowing…..my intuition was right on target. There was no time to think, I was literally “in over my head” – I’m 5 foot and one half inch and my feet could not touch the bottom of the pool. I did the fastest freestyle\dog paddle to her as I could. Trying to stay above water, I began to push her to the side of the pool. She was dead weight so I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to the edge. My adrenaline was pumping with the same strength a mother has when a child is stuck under a car and she lifts it up without a sweat.
Tanya caught her breadth and hung on to the side of the pool. She said the pump in the pool was powerful ( I can attest it is…..I often use it to massage my sore muscles and when I swim by – it pushes me out one to two feet away). Tanya did not have a noodle (Life preserver\toy for kids and adults). The pool pump – pushed her out to the deep end, she panicked, and you know the rest. She also told me she was getting used to a new dosage of a medication she hadn’t taken in a long time. I told her it’s probably not a good idea to go swimming by yourself and to always use a noodle because those darn pumps are really powerful. I kept talking to her because I knew her life just flashed before her eyes.
As she was resting on the lounge chair – she told me she was still shaking and said – I hope I didn’t scare you. Cool as a cucumber – – I said, no, I’m fine. Liar Liar, pants on fire ?.…..I just saved someone who almost drowned. It was still sinking in. (No pun intended). ?
Here’s my take-away (and were not talking fast food):
- These are perilous times with COVID, Racial and Social Unrest, Political Chaos, Fires, Death, Quarantines, Canceled travel plans, Isolation, Loss of Work, Homeschooling and the list goes on. We are all at the tip of a VERY big iceberg. Tanya’s partner told me she has been swimming in that pool for 30 years. She was regaining her strength from a being in the hospital. We are going a mile a minute one day and just like the Titanic – we can sink at the blink of an eye.
- We have the power to save someone’s life be it physically, socially, spiritually or emotionally. We’ve got the power ?. If we keep our eyes ? and hearts ❤️ open – there will be someone in our tiny bubble we can help. You may feel you are in over your head and just keeping yourself above water – but somehow – a power we don’t know we have kicks into gear. And something inside you propels you to give someone a push, a lift, a word of encouragement.
- Words matter now more than ever. When I lost my job a few years ago, a colleague sent me this text:
❤️❤️ never forget you are absolutely amazing! The next big thing is just around the corner! Can’t wait to see where the world will take you next! (It’s still on my phone).
That text was my life preserver. She believed in me when I didn’t have the strength to believe in myself. She used her intuition by using the word “World”. After months of soul searching – I found my purpose to Ignite World Leaders to live their dream of a better “World”. If you were to tell me a few years ago when I was drowning in my sorrow that I would coach a Social Entrepreneur in India through? the Gratitude Network – I would have thought you were out of your mind. If you were to tell me I would be a Coach for SNUG a violence reduction program that engages the community with former offenders – I would have thought you were crazy. And if you told me I would create a BLM scholarship to coach Black Women to live their dream – I would have said, yeah right. ?
- Focus on what Matters. At the end of our life looking back at this time – what really matters? A house? A title? A better Title? Our Image? Status? Bank Account? More Things? When I look back. It’s Relationships. Loved ones. People are what matter the most. And stepping up and helping someone in desperate need is crazy fulfilling – like a natural high or a weird adrenaline. So take the plunge and listen. No, really listen (Think Level 3) to those you care about and in your neck of the woods. How big are the ears on your heart ❤️?
- Use your intuition plus your superpower. Intuition is trusting your Gut. Your Superpower is what comes natural to you even though you think….meh….it’s no big deal. Many people have told me I bring Joy to the world. What?…..I don’t want that superpower! Tough beans. It’s who I am. I can’t help it. It’s my essence. It’s how I’m wired. I inspire and empower others – with ease and flow. Like oil on teflon. Easy Peasy. Don’t hide your gift or play small. You were created for such a time as this.
So Be Ready. Get in tune with your environment. Open the ears of your heart…..and you just might save a life today. And I promise…. It will be crazy fulfilling and better than sex ?.
Julie Wong is a Leadership Coach at iEmpower Coaching
