Wanna Swim In My Pool?

Many of you know we were in Florida for about a week. It was an awesome vacation and we're beyond depressed to be back in Dirty Jersey. Keeping the visit on the cheap, I spent the majority of the vacation in the swimming pool at Mom's condo complex.

On our very last day, I counted down the remaining hours of sun time and fun time. I began floating on my back. With my ears submerged in warm, chlorinated water, I could hear the peaceful sound of nothingness beneath me. A feeling of calm came over me and with eyes tightly shut, I remembered my summers growing up on Long Island.

My family had an in-ground pool, which was a rare thing in our neighborhood. The pool came with our house when my folks purchased it in 1978 and it was the highlight of my childhood summers. Our pool set the backdrop for dozens of family photos, events, summer romance and many a college party while my parents were away on their countless vacations.

8th grade Catholic school graduation, pool cover off, not yet ready for swimming.

As a child, I'd swim and float for hours. I hated to break for lunch because Mom would insist on making us wait after eating for fear we'd fall fall victim to the infamous Charley Horse. Whatever the heck that meant.

As a kid, I would tell everyone about our pool and try to bribe the other children to stop by and swim at our house. It's funny to think that even at age 10, I must not have had a positive self-image. I felt the only way anyone would want to play with me, was if I offered up our family pool. "Wanna swim in my pool? We have an in-ground pool!" I'd exclaim to anyone and everyone at dance class, soccer club and school.

Today Mom's pool is covered up and has been out of commission for several years following a bad storm.  Every year, I beg my mom to repair it, even offering to split the costs. She has since joined a local pool and prefers a more maintenance-free lifestyle.

Without our pool, summer has never been the same.

Summer Ruled Until I Hit My Twenties

Enjoying the summer in 1982 in my backyard pool on Long Island.

It's amazing to me how many people love summer.

In my opinion, unless you're a teacher, a kid, a college student, someone with a kick-ass pool in your backyard or a house a few blocks from the beach, enjoying summer isn't really an option.

It's difficult for me to find the joy in this particularly sweaty season. It's hot as hell and you work full-time while the sun heats up your car to balmy 180 degrees and don't give me any crap about those damn silver foil windshield sunshade things. The weekend comes and then what? It typically rains or is cloudy. I don't have any friends who live nearby that own a pool. Our electric bill nearly triples because I'm forced to run crappy round-the-clock air conditioners with visions of wintertime in my head.


And to think I have the luxury of living and working in the 'burbs. Commuting to the city in the summer always sucked so much worse. That rank air. Clothes and hair clinging to every pore. Makeup running down my face. That awful stench below ground in the subways. The feeling of being butt-to-butt on a crowded crosstown bus. Forget it! And I truly do not miss the endless hike in 100 degree heat. Three summers of a fourth-floor-walk-up, juggling bags of groceries and/or laundry with sweat dripping down my back. That just sucked big time.

It's just that over the past ten summers, I've felt that other than BBQs and the occasional early Friday dismissal from work, I just don't feel the love. Summer and I ended our relationship a very long time ago. I don't know if we'll ever reconcile our differences. Maybe one day if we own a house with a swimming pool or if suddenly I become a teacher or can work from home... ahhh a poolside laptop perhaps ... we're through!

As always thanks for reading and remember this is just my humble opinion, you don't have to agree with me.