Water Babies

Fun in the Sun

I remember as a child, spending entire days swimming from early morning to late afternoon, only taking breaks when forced out of the water by my mother.  Entire summers would pass with me swimming every day at the community pool, and after one totally crispy critter sunburn, I would turn brown as a nut. When we'd go to the beach, I would swim so much that at night as I went to sleep, I could still feel the waves bobbing me up and down. If pools weren't available, any good old fashioned slip and slide or sprinkler would do in a pinch.


To this day, I love the liberating sensation of floating, gliding through the water like a fish, being completely surrounded by the cool wetness of it but feeling so free at the same time.  It seems to me to be the closest thing to what flying might feel like. I am an equal opportunity water-lover too. I will swim in anything.  I've swam in lakes, rivers, creeks, oceans, pools, and even stock tanks. I've taken a dip in 60 degree weather without the least hesitation.  I am a dyed-in-the-wool water baby and probably will be for the remainder of my life.


Therefore, it seriously pleased me when our little blow up pool took a dive this summer (yes, pun intended), and we decided to purchase a much bigger pool for our backyard.  My children were so excited. When their father brought it home, they squealed and clapped and danced around him as if he were the god of all things fun and thrilling.  He loves it when they do this.  I am thankful they haven't figured that out yet, or they'd be asking for things all the time from him, and getting them too.  


All three of my children enjoy the water.  The pool has been up for a day and a half and they have spent more hours in it than out of it. I think, however, my my six-year-old Jack  is the biggest water baby of them all.  He reminds me so much of myself at that age. I literally have to pull him out of the pool and make him come in when his lips turn blue.  The other two know when to get out and warm up a bit, have a snack and rest a little..  Jack, though, refuses to miss a minute of fun.  I hope this enthusiasm for enjoying himself stays with him his entire life, although somewhat more tempered by good sense.  


I am just really happy this Sunday afternoon. It's the culmination of a stay-at-home few days spent entirely with my nuclear unit, or as I refer to them "Team Hallbeck."  There is nothing quite like spending time with family and thoroughly enjoying one another. I am optimistic about the summer going well.  The children and I will have a great time in our backyard, spending time in the sunshine splashing and playing and laughing.  I think this summer is a harbinger of good things to come for the remainder of the year. The first half of the year was hard, but the second half seems quite a bit brighter. Today was one of those golden moments where I realized how truly lucky I am and truly grateful I am for the blessings in my life--including a pool just a few feet from my back door.

Team Hallbeck in the Pool