Some of the best memories of my life have revolved around my grandma's swimming pool. There were countless days when I would show up with two diet cokes, chat with my grandma and then spend my entire afternoon lounging about in her backyard -with a giant swimming pool all to myself.
As a little girl, every Wednesday, grandma would do "Open Plunge". For a couple of hours she'd let all the neighborhood kids come and swim. My mom and grandma would stand at the gate and check out every kid, ask them if they knew how to swim and if they had a towel, and put every single girls hair up in a pony tail if they didn't come with one already in place.
Open Plunge freaked me out. While the entire neighborhood was swimming outside, I was sitting inside. Either on the washing machine looking out the window or at the kitchen table, unwrapping and eating dozens of mini reses peanut butter cups. Grandma's house was like a candy factory, too.
As soon as the last kid was out of the pool and out of the yard, I walked out the back door, took off my shoes and jumped in the pool. By this time I'd had my suit on for hours, just waiting for my chance.
Now, my kids get to swim in their own private pool. Still at my grandmas house a couple times a week all summer long. They are little and already spoiled with the beauty of having a pool all to themselves. Today it was just me and the boys (Uncles Willie and James included). I've had the Chick in the pool a few times - with crowds - and he's been tentative and shy and cried his way out of the pool, onto a lap with a fistful of pretzels.
Today though - the daredevil came out. It seems that my boy is a lot like his mama. He wants his privacy and the entire pool with as few swim mates as possible. Today he blew bubbles, and kicked and swam and jumped in and walked off the stairs straight into the beautiful blue chlorine heaven.
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