Those of you who know me will probably wonder how pool time could have possibly become something so important to me that I would devote an entire blog post to it. After all, those who know me know that I have not worn a bathing suit in years and don't go near water unless it's to bathe. My fear of water is not completely unfounded, however. It all goes back to a near-drowning experience when I was probably about ten. I won't go into detail; I'll just say I thought I was a goner that fateful day. My brother Chance had to save me, and ever since then I've had a phobia of water. (In all reality, though, I probably was no closer to drowning than I am to winning the lottery.)
But back to the topic at hand. My love of pool time all started when my friends Shawna and Laura and I decided to try out aqua Zumba at the community center. We heard it was a lot of fun and a great workout, so of course, we had to try it out for ourselves. The only problem for me was that I didn't own a bathing suit. "Not to worry," the ever-positive Shawna reassured me. She then reminded me that we each had a Kohl's $10-off coupon and suggested we begin my swimsuit search there.
After trying on several different combinations and sizes of tops and bottoms, I finally found one I thought I could actually appear in public in. In addition, both the top and bottom piece were half off, plus I had the coupon, so I only ended up paying $30 for an $80-bathing suit. I was pretty proud of myself that day.
So I debuted my bathing suit at aqua Zumba...but I wasn't impressed with the workout. I wasn't as sweaty and exhausted as I am after regular Zumba classes, which in my mind meant that aqua Zumba didn't work as well as regular Zumba does. No pain, no gain, right? So I decided I was going to stick to regular Zumba from now on, leaving me with an only-worn-once bathing suit if I didn't get my butt in a pool.
Laura lives in an apartment complex with a pool and had been dying to spend some afternoons poolside, so I finally agreed to accompany her. After all, I did need to get at least get thirty bucks of wear out of the bathing suit. I did warn Laura, though, that I don't so much swim as wade around in the fairly shallow end. That was fine with her because she really just wanted to be in the water to get out of the 112-degree heat we've been experiencing for far too many days.
So in order to beat the heat and justify the purchase of a new bathing suit, I've spent several afternoons poolside with Laura and other friends. And I've been pleasantly surprised. I did not expect to enjoy it this much. I nearly hyperventilate when I approach the five-foot end, but I'm perfectly content to splash around in the three- to four-foot end, talking with friends about any and everything. Take, for instance, the conversation Laura and I had while standing on our knees in three-and-a-half-foot water. It went a little something like this:
Laura: "See, we're only in three-and-a-half-foot water. It's not so bad."
Me: "Wait. How is my head two feet tall?!"
Laura (with a decidedly confused look on her face): "Um...because of your legs. You're not standing all the way up. Right? That makes sense, right?"
Me: "Oh...duh. Wow! I'm an idiot!"
Then we both burst into uncontrollable laughter. Apparently there are always many laughs at the pool, and not just because of men who shouldn't be wearing Speedos.
But anyway, I vowed to spend more time outdoors this summer, and between hammock time and pool time, I've done just that.
And now for some poolside photos:
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| Photo courtesy of Laura Hawkins |
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| Darker than I've ever been |
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| Perfect book for a relaxing afternoon by the pool |
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