A Reason for Everything

Let me start by saying that throughout my life I have firmly believed that things happen for a reason. Sometimes we can clearly see the reason and other times it remains a mystery. When faced with a decision, we can rationalize and debate, discuss the pros and the cons, then arrive at a decision or course of action we feel is best. We have our own reasons, but then fate can show you that there was another reason in store for you that you hadn't even considered. I got the proof of that today.

We have an above ground swimming pool that must be taken down for the winter. It is a nice size, 15ft around and 48 inches deep. It has a metal frame with a plastic liner, what I would describe as just this side of flimsy. We bought this pool brand new last year to replace one that we had had for the past seven seasons. You can't dive in it, you can't really frolic, but you can get wet and I can swim around in that pool for hours on end. I love the water. Nothing delighted me more these last years than coming home from work and jumping in that pool while my husband bar-b-qued dinner. But I work no more. I live the good life of retirement. But in that good life, some things have to change. We decided to spend mid-May to mid-September (prime pool time) camping at different spots across Ontario. The only exception was that we would be home for four weeks in August for various engagements we had.

So, the dilema was whether or not to put up the pool. It's not that it's a terrible amount of work, but the cost of the water, the power to run it, and the liability of leaving the pool unattended for a long period made us think twice about putting it up. We had just returned from a wonderful 5 weeks in Florida where I swam every day in a heated pool (ours is not heated), and the weather was still cold here. I knew even if the pool was up I would not be able to swim in it before we returned in August. So we made a pact, my hubby and I, no pool and no bitching about it when we returned. Sounded like a good plan, and since I was not swim deprived, I figured, no problem, I can live without it for a few weeks. 

Fast forward to August. We returned from almost 3 months of the coolest, wettest camping we had ever experienced. Upon returning to our pool-less home, we were hit with a heat wave that we never had while camping. During the first three days of it, I was OK with no pool. I was busy unpacking, groceries, visiting, yada,yada, but today, the fourth day, when I was sweating up a storm in the backyard, I must admit, I wanted to re-live that decision. I wanted my pool. I lamented to my neighbour that while it doesn't make sense to put it up now, I sure wished it was up. So much for pacts and reasonable thinking, I just wanted to feel that silky salt water on my skin and swim around in circles till I was dizzy. But I squashed the urge, kept my mouth shut and went about my day. In the afternoon, the humidity of the last four days built up enough to cause a short but violent thunderstorm, which we watched from our garage at the front of the house. Meanwhile, in the backyard, whether by wind or lightening, one of the trees split apart and came crashing down right on the inner edge of the pad for the pool. We happened to look out our patio door and see this giant branch sitting where the pool would normally be. Had the pool been up, it would probably have been totalled.

I rest my case, there truly is a reason for everything.