I miss the pool

In the last couple of weeks before we left Atlanta I went swimming every morning, first thing. The rest of the day was always filled with packing and schlepping and figuring things out for the overseas move, but I could start out by swimming laps.

I really like swimming laps. I started a few years ago, after a running injury that made me look for another exercise while I healed. Back then we were all working from home during pandemic and it was really easy to swim in the mornings. Atlanta is so warm that the pool is open from May through end of September so it became a staple activity for a substantial part of the year. And I was lucky--we had a membership at our neighborhood pool that was right up the street. I could take Miles to the bus stop and go off for a swim, even on early or late season chilly mornings. You'd always see the same other regular lap swimmers too, which was nice for camaraderie.

It wasn't just exercise though; the pool was great for socialization. I loved going on the weekends and parking there all day long with a book. You could go just for an hour or so after school or work wrapped up too. One of the best things was late evening swimming when the lights pop on under water and sometimes bats swoop in to take a drink. Planning to have dinner at the pool with friends was a particularly nice thing because you were sure to be there for the bats. Miles did the swim team for a while which was really fun too. I was even on the pool board for a number of years--I really liked my fellow board members who were all so committed to the project of the community pool. Resolving our operating problems, planning member pool parties, dealing with pool member drama that would always come up. The pool was important and so it was important to be a part of making it work well.

After the government exploded and we were all restricted from telework it was a lot harder to swim regularly. I missed the pool because I never seemed to have time for it anymore. I missed my exercise. It seemed like whenever I saw friends there I was just complaining about how bad things were going, or I'd be trying to warn them about the trouble we were in or about to be in. Not having the pool as a haven wasn't why we moved to Belgium, but it certainly didn't help.

I wish I could go swimming on a hot late summer evening. I'd like to be there for the last day of the season. It's already fall here and chilly outside and I can't even imagine jumping in the water. But it's probably really nice at the pool right now.