Solace and Sanctuary

The pool conquered boredom. It swallowed heat and humidity. It melted arguments and absorbed tension. Swimming was summer’s solution. A two-month salvation.

For me, swimming is about the peace of being underwater, alone and yet not alone. Free, stretched out; not even gravity pins me down. My muscles are busy, freeing my mind. The water is the place I can just… be.

The ranch house of my youth has been replaced by an apartment building. The green lawns gave way to red-brick parking lots.

I do, however, have a small yard — which houses a very small above-ground pool.