The Pool

The ABC ran a show on “The Pool” the other night.  I saw some of it.  It seemed to be showing a history of the pool in Australia.  Apparently swimming became really popular in Australia when we did really well at the Melbourne Olympics.  Then with dual incomes backyard pools became really trendy.
I do remember the person who had a pool becoming really popular.  Like a new best friend.  I think the togs and towel was a give away that someone was not just there to see them.
We had a pool but we got rid of it.  It was not heated.  Our standard joke was we would swim one day of the year that co-in sided with the coral blooming.  We now have a heated spa with the bubbles and all.  They run at about 36 degrees.  Ok that is hot (around body temperature), but not boiling as one person thought when they saw the bubbles and heat.  We use the spar more.
I never took to swimming lengths to become a good competition swimmer.  Staring at the bottom of the pool was never my thing.  In fact, staring at anything in water was never my thing.  I would swim with my eyes closed.
For my parents me learning to swim was about being safe around water and getting out of trouble if I needed to.  I was taught to swim by Laurie Lawrence no less.   I knew he was sort of famous, but the promised ice cream on doing my first width meant more to me.  Getting that ice cream was a proud day.
I did get a better pair of togs though.  When I first started every time I dived into the water they ended up around my knees.  They were supposed to be higher.  My contemporaries laughed but fixing the problem was my priority.  Besides, I’m a guy, and trying to do two things at once was a bridge too far for me.  Actually most bridges are high and dry but I don’t think diving onto the concrete would have been a good look either.
One day I was there by myself and I decided it was time to do another width.  I was still swimming with my eyes shut.  I took off but after a while thought this is taking way longer than it should.  Unbeknown to me I had done an L shaped turn was doing a length of the Olympic swimming pool rather than a width.
When I eventually did open my eyes I was half way down the pool.  I opened them just in time to see that I had arrived at guys on one another’s shoulders fighting each other.  One lost and crashed into the water next to me.  I had enough to think about and did not need that.
I coughed and gagged and spluttered and generally looked like I was in trouble.  Well ok, I was in trouble.  It was really embarrassing but I needed rescuing.  Needing to be rescued in the pool is pretty uncool.  Any chance to look like I knew what I was doing was gone.  Someone grabbed me and took me to the side of the pool.
I love the pool and enjoy getting wet on a hot summers’ day, but I generally try to avoid the deep end.