Work

I worked tonight after swim practice. I taught swimming lessons to small children, which is an enjoyable job, but after a long day, it was rather stressful. We had less swimming instructors present than we needed, and more children than I had expected. I scrambled to collect names and hand out kick boards. The heavy scent of chlorine hung around me and applied itself to my hair, much to my annoyance. My swimmers clung to their kick boards as if they were lifelines and kicked away from the wall. Splashes of water doused me and stung my eyes until I could hardly see.
"That's good, that's good," I exclaimed to all of them, struggling to keep the "smile-and-keep-going" motto of my work. They twisted in the water as I tried to teach them the front crawl, sinking like rocks. A couple mastered the stroke and passed out of the level, but the others spent their time fighting to keep their heads above water. The noise in the pool was deafening as children churned the water around them. I had to shout to be heard, and it wasn't long before my voice was nearly nonexistent. I kept my smile plastered on my face and tried to explain myself using more hand motions than words.
"You guys are doing great," I croaked, giving them each a thumbs-up as they demonstrate their kicking to me. My eyes began to water and the water suddenly seemed to turn cold. At last, I was finished. Stacking the kick boards like a Jenga game, I tried to help with clean-up. What a night. I like my work, but tonight really put the "smile-and-keep-going" rule to the test.