Time For A Dip

Its 3:45 pm on a Sunday afternoon as the sound of rushing water, conversation and laughter fills the air. It’s a place for people to release, to look back on the week that was and get ready for the next. People are in all corners of the facility and with alcohol and company a good time is sure to be had. Everyone in their own little groups but all with the same purpose. They are here to relax, these college aged kids are here to enjoy the water and an ice cold beer.

The array of cultures is heavily present with the sound of multiple languages being heard. The fountain is the center of it all, standing alone in the middle of the pool, it acts as the centerpiece. The interesting this about the pool I that it isn't occupied as it is intended. The pool is there for people to swim and enjoy the water, but what the pool has become is merely a place to sunbathe and hang out in chairs above water level. It seems that even though people made the journey to the pool and dressed in bathing suites, they have no intention of actually swimming. They intend to lie out in the sun and let the ray form above burn their skin to a brown or red.

It seems as if good conversation and drinking has the replaced the act of swimming. To be fair there are a few people in the pool but not swimming, they are standing up wait deep drinking a beer. Another thing that seems quite unusual is that it is 95 degrees and more people are in the warm water of the spa opposed to the cool refreshing temperature of the main pool. Just an observation which is perplexing to me. The main thing is that everyone is enjoying themselves. It seems as if that people no longer associate the pool with swimming but with a good time. Even if they could do the same activities outside on their own patio, they still prefer to be in the confinement of the boundaries of the pool. It’s all mental. Mentally telling themselves while in the pool area that they are relaxed and that inside the boundaries is nothing but pure relaxation and enjoyment.

I've been here for close to an hour now and no one has left. Everyone who was here when I arrived is still present. As the alcohol slowly starts to kick in the conversations gradually get louder and the sound of the rushing water is slowly drowned out by increasing laughter and people start to care less and less about the other groups. Everyone still seems to be having a great time and I can safely conclude that the pool is a place to let things go. It seems no one has problems and no thinks about the challenges they have. It seems that in the four walls of the pool on Sunday afternoon these people are trying to enjoy the last bit of their weekend knowing that when they wake up tomorrow a new week at school will begin but they will have the thought of their pool visit to look back on and look forward to next weekend.

The Pond

At the university’s duck pond on a weekend night there are a strange mix of people milling about the pond. The weather is clear and perfect, a gentle breeze rips through the trees and moves the leaves creating that peaceful sound that all people love, and find comfort in. It’s past everyone’s bedtime. Long after the hour anything good happens. But this is a college campus and what good happens here really.

The first group I noticed seem to be a collection of drunk freshmen seeping out of the dorms. They are meandering around, stumbling on the short dry grass. There are probably seven or more of them, all probably under age. They are shouting and it takes me a moment to realize that they are actually singing a well-known pop song. They sit at the edge of the pond and a few light up cigarettes, or maybe something heavier. I’m at a distance away and can’t say for sure. They sit there and talk and shout amongst themselves. They are so care free and happy. Obviously the alcohol and smoke in their blood stream help with this attitude, but there is something nice about their youth and innocence. After fifteen minutes or so they got up and wondered back to the dorms, where they came from. Now the pond is silent. There is a cop car that passes periodically observing the campus, trying to find delinquents and misbehaviors.

After a few minutes a different crowd entirely walks by. It is a couple probably in their early twenties. They hold each other close and kiss under the stars. How nice. The girl is now talking. She seems to be telling a long story with much exaggeration. The boy sits patiently listening nodding at seemingly important parts, and interrupting with seemingly appropriate questions. I guess that’s what loves means. They stayed the longest and were still there when I departed back to my lodgings.

At the NMSU duck pond there is a diverse mix of people, certainly, but tonight consisted of young adults with freedom and friendship. The night air rings with different voices, and in the end there is a similar chorus that clamors with a summer night and youth, and all the joy and fun that comes with youth and a summer weekend.