Thursday, June 27, 2013

Swimming Pools

From April 13, 2008


Swimming pools are unique in that they offer us a chance to experience a different world. A realm where we cannot possibly survive without the proper equipment, kind of like landing on the moon. To go into space, we need to wear a suit that offers the protection we need to survive in an environment that is hostile to human life.

If we could breathe under water, and we were to sit at the bottom of the pool, we could observe the effect our surroundings have on our senses. For example, sound does not penetrate well through water. The voices we hear would be muffled or muted. The light would be subdued.

Our sense of touch would be affected by the weight of the water and we would seem to move in slow motion. People who jump into the pool would appear as swift moving flashes of light to us, catching us by surprise in our quiet little world. They may swim around us, and look at us, and then they go back up to the surface. We will hear things, but not much of it will actually get to us, or is not clear because the water distorts the sound.

This is how I often view my husband. He lives within a sphere that is something like a protective water bubble. You may be talking to him and he will appear to be listening (though not really looking  at you) but very little of what you say will go through the wall of the sphere. Some of it will be absorbed like sound waves in the water, but much of it will not penetrate.

My husband lives at the bottom of that pool. When he wants or needs to communicate, he is able to come up for air and comply-- but only on his terms. Other terms do not sit well with him. He goes back to the bottom of the pool. Living by a set of rules or code of conduct is not within his capabilities. He will try from time to time, but will-power is not something he is capable of drawing upon. It can be taught, but that is something much easier to learn while young.

Communication is constantly a problem in all aspects of his life. He remains at peace in his own world; his own private pool...


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