For Adults Only

When they first appeared a couple of years ago, at the Katonah pool, the inner tubes, targeted to the adults’ inner child, were eyed warily. They were for adults only. Who among us gray-haired and no longer lithe, would be the first to indulge in the childhood memory / dream / ambition of floating along the water in an inner tube? First one of us, then the other, recaptured the childhood delight of playtime in the pool. At first we felt foolish. Then, we felt fun.

Sunday, from 10 to noon, adult swim is our time to be children or be without them. No kids allowed, just adults hangin' at the pool. This year there’s been a sea-change. The inner tubes lie stacked against the equipment shed. Today, only a few dared to languish in the sun, even though it was an opportunity to soak up vitamin D and strengthen bones. For the rest, it was into the lap lanes.

You’d have found me in an inner tube. Strengthening my bones, of course.