Stephen Yeargin

I have lived at two apartments since moving back to Nashville with swimming pools. The majority of the time at the previous was during the winter months, and the property’s insurance policy probably did not cover hypothermia for residents. We have been at our current residence for over a year and have only ventured into the pool area to use the community vending machine. Today we decided to change that.

I can fondly remember the first (and last) pool party I attended at Martin, where a group of newspaper staff and roommates hung out after-hours at the Martin Place pool. It was the first time I had spent a significant amount of time with Samantha, culminated with a ride to McDonald’s (at sunrise) after a few hours searching for a set of keys. We spent a bit of time dissecting the wit/absurdity of the old saying that one always finds what they are looking for in the last place he or she looks. That was five years ago, so I owe a bit to the idea of chilling at the pool.

Today was the first time since then I have been swimming, if only for a few minutes between naps poolside. The weather this weekend is fantastic and our spot in the shade only made it better. While it did not succeed in completely erasing the slow but steady build-up of anxiousness of the last few weeks, getting outside did recharge my mental batteries.

I need to find more outlets for escapism.