Just you and the Sun
The cool blue water
The bright yellow sun
The smell of summer and chlorine
The cold smooth touch of your fingers lightly brushing the surface of the pool
The feel of the hot sun slightly burning your body
The dark look the world turns into when you put on your sunglasses
The sound of laughter and music coming from your neighbor who has the music on just a little too loud for everyone else
The feeling of no worries
No thoughts
No responsibilities
When the world disappears and it’s just you and the sun
Enjoy it.
It doesn’t come Around very often
When everything is at peace
The pool is my happy place. And now I get to work at my happy place, I get paid to be exactly where I want to be every day. Now that is what I consider a good life.
Another perk of working at the pool is that I get to see all the kids I used to work with at a preschool. It’s great to see how much they have grown physically and emotionally. I was even able to pick up a few babysitting jobs for the summer. I’ve missed the kids I’ve been able to play games with and I have the opportunity to do it again. When they start to remember who I am it brings a wide smile to my face. I realized that most of the very young kids do not remember me, unless I made a big impression on them. Most of the older kids think I look familiar and are excited to have me babysit them.
I’ve been learning a lot while working at the pool. I am what is called a “gate guard” which means I check people into the people by taking their passes. If someone does not have a pass or their pass does not work, I am not allowed to let them into the pool. You can only imagine all the fights people pick with me. The “Are you serious, I just forgot my pass at home!” Or “I traveled all this way and just can’t find my pass, this is ridiculous I am writing a nasty complaint.” With dealing with this multiple times every time I work, I have learned how to stand by ground. How to take responsibility and just say no. With no exceptions. Like the teachers would say: “no ifs ands or buts” and like the kids say “no cuts no buts no coconuts.” Well what I deal with here is definitely a little nuts.
I have also learned a lot about patience. I’ve learned how to entertain myself for 10 hours and not go too nuts. You’ll never guess how many hobbies I can keep in my backpack. From adult coloring books, to writing, reading, making jewelry, I got it all covered. I not only learned how to be patient with myself, but to be patient with others. I know how to listen to people’s stories, respond to them in a respectful and understanding way, but still lay down the law.
Turning people away from the pool may even help me in the future. Maybe the next time someone begs me to do something I would not like to do, I will just so no. Not maybe. Not how about later? Not yeah sure. Just No.
Yes working at the pool is the perfect job for me. Not only do I love it, but I learn so much from working there.
