Not sure how to process what I witnessed today?
Today I was at the beach alone and I took a swim in the shallows. I’d been told to be weary of currents so I was sure to stay close to shore, came out, lay in the sun, and fell asleep.
I awoke to a huge flock of birds flying overhead and at first I thought how beautiful, then heard a child scream. As I sat up and came to my senses, I noticed a large group of teenage kids gathered at the shore yelling. The next thing I know there are firemen and life guards rushing the water, with more and more arriving by the second, then boats, and helicopters.
I went up to two onlookers who told me that they’d just seen a child get swept under the water. There was a man nearby who was lying down exhausted and hyperventilating; turned out he’d just jumped in and tried to save the kid right as it was happening, but couldn’t.
I watched for a while in disbelief. An hour later, the rescue efforts stopped. No body was found.
I don’t know what to feel right now. It’s odd, because I didn’t see the actual event, but I was there right as his friends began to realize what was happening. I feel like I don’t have permission to grieve because I didn’t witness it. Is there a term for this type of experience? I can’t even imagine what his friends are going through, what it was like when his family found out, or the people who saw it happen, so part of me feels like I shouldn’t be feeling this way. Is it something I should kind of let it go, or if it’s something I should work through, and if so, how to do it.