"Would you like to go for a swim? Would you like to go tomorrow?" Behind a seemingly banal phrase, sometimes lies a kindness that opens the heart.

What happened to Giancarlo Beltrami and Riccardo Sechi is the clearest proof of this. The first is a pensioner, with the ailments of old age and an eye condition that effectively renders him blind; the second is a young lifeguard, in the prime of his life. Two worlds distinct in age and origin. But with a love in common: the sea. Which Beltrami, 77, was able to reclaim thanks to Sechi, 18. He could be his grandson. "I became his eyes in the sea," the boy now explains, "but Giancarlo, swimming behind me, managed to lead me to the center of my heart, making me discover the need to be useful to others."

The sea

This story begins in Assemini and Brescia, passes through Monserrato, and ends in Cagliari, at Poetto. Milvia Concas and her husband Efisio Piras live in the hinterland town. They are 61 and 66 years old, and with their friend Giancarlo, originally from central Lombardy, they share a Buddhist faith and long phone calls. So much so that they decided to host him, despite never having met him before, and to give him something that can't be bought: their time and vacation time. Beltrami was a former triathlete, but two years ago he lost his sight due to glaucoma. As soon as he arrived in Sardinia, at the invitation of the couple, new friends, he wanted to get closer to the sea: "It was my habitat," he explains. And he doesn't need to say anything else.

Young

Riccardo is from Monserrato, one of thirteen lifeguards on the Poetto public beach, and it's his first time: he's just earned his certification, but seven years of competitive swimming have made him confident. Every day since June, he's carefully scanned the beach and the horizon. It's always crowded, but the boy doesn't miss the plight of the man sitting next to the tower, his long white cane clutched in his hands, his sunglasses on. "Is everything okay?" he asks, "I'm the lifeguard, I'm here if you need me."

Love for others

The next day he finally has the morning off and is already dreaming of his room with the air conditioning. But he looks at Giancarlo one more time and finally can't help but ask: "Do you want to go for a swim? Would you like to tomorrow?" From there, everything changes. The next day, and on all the other days off, he goes to the beach where Giancarlo is waiting for him. "We swam together: I tied him to me with a long elastic cord that indicates the direction but allows him to move freely. I wanted him to feel the waves on his body; I hope I've taken him beyond the limits that a disability can cause. This too is a way to save people. I became his eyes in the sea, but Giancarlo, swimming behind me, managed to lead me to the center of my heart, where I discovered the need to be useful to others."

Sardinia in the heart

Giancarlo calls Riccardo "an extraordinary guy. With blindness, the world changes and you change, but in Sardinia I found myself again thanks to people with such a precious heart. What did I miss most? Not being able to see their faces and smiles."

Life plays at intertwining the destinies of strangers and holds miracles. And it all began when Milvia and Efisio decided to host Giancarlo: "It wasn't easy," Milvia emphasizes, "but by cultivating bonds of solidarity and support between human beings, you can discover a deeper reason to live. This is the map of happiness: helping others become happy makes us happy. To do something great, you don't need grand gestures, all you need is a willing heart."

Angela Caddeo

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