SUMMERTIME BLUES.....

I can vividly remember as a kid how much I disliked the summer months even though we got a break from school. In the Spring, when there was still a chill in the air, my elementary school would bus the students to Robert's Pool, a local, public pool that would open a little early in the season, to allow students to take swimming lessons. I remember feeling anxious about my classmates seeing my pasty, pale skin and the fear of not being able to pass the swimming test. {couldn't they just make an exception and let me swim in my jeans and t-shirt?} That feeling of vulnerability scarred me for life...I never did pass the swimming test to receive the little red pin that signified success although I already knew how to swim and tread water. I was just not good at navigating the breast stroke....who swims like that anyway? I would rather have floated on an over sized raft equipped with a drink holder and a fly swatter while the radio blasted in the distance.......