HNT(26) Adult Swim

During the summer days when I was growing up, there was a certain 15-minute window every hour where time would seem to slow down and actually stand still.

I am referring, of course, to the discriminatory, age-biased practice known as the "adult swim"--where the lifeguards would clear the pool of all of us noisy kids to give the grown-ups some scheduled time for relaxation.

We would reluctantly drag ourselves out of the water and sit forlornly on the concrete along the edge of the pool, where we huddled like sunburned refugees, waiting for the shrill blast of the whistle that would signal the reprieve of our temporary exile.

All summer long my friends and I would wage a battle of wits with the lifeguards. We would begin by creeping closer and dipping just one foot into the water. If that didn't arouse an alarm, we would nonchalantly hang our legs over the side up to our knee.

The next move required stealth and coordination, and had to be timed perfectly when the lifeguard's attention was drawn to the opposite end of the pool. Using the thin ladder as cover, we would try to slip all the way into the water and make our way down to the bottom of the deep end.

The payoff was a few more minutes out of the sun in the icy cold water, with the added thrill of risking a 3o-minute suspension if you got caught.

Of course, now that I'm a member of the grown-up club (at least chronologically), I would support a constitutional amendment creating a mandatory 45-minute adult swim every hour, with limited exemptions for the remaining quarter hour to be issued to the quietest and most docile children who qualified.

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On the one hand, I long for that feeling of aimless, carefree summer days spent swimming, riding my bike, and exploring the banks of the creek that ran through the woods near our house.
On the other hand, I certainly appreciate the means and ability to enjoy select weekends in scenic locations that honor the phrase "charge it to my room..."

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So, for all of you other kids-at-heart out there,
everybody in the pool.
We won't worry about keeping track of the time. We'll just plunge in feet first, and remember what it feels like to steal a few minutes for ourselves once again...

hhnt.

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