Hot summer days have me thinking about taking a soak in some water. I grew up swimming mostly at my hometown’s city pool. My wife grew up swimming mostly in a private lake. We both learned to appreciate pools and lakes, but there are stark differences that we often debate. Please allow me to explain.
1. If a fish was found in a public swimming pool, lifeguards would be blowing whistles, and swimmers would scatter. In a lake, fish are expected — along with snakes and other creatures of the deep.
2. Fish do their dirty work in lakes. A fish being in a swimming pool is one thing. But if a fish defecated in a swimming pool, the rest period would begin immediately, and the pool would be drained.
3. If you touch the bottom of a lake with your feet, they sink into something soft. If your feet sink into something soft in a swimming pool, you should be concerned.
4. Pools are often heated and comfortable to be in regardless of the outside temperature. The only heat in lake water comes from the sun — and only on the top layer.
5. Although accidentally swallowing pool water isn’t pleasant, it is much better than accidently swallowing lake water and having diarrhea for two days. Yes, I speak from experience.
6. When diving into a swimming pool, one generally knows what to expect. In a murky lake, rocks, logs and other debris can offer an unpleasant surprise. As such, you never quite know what you are getting into.
7. I never knew what algae was until I started swimming in lakes. In a pool, the staff simply adds more chlorine to clear things up. In a lake, you simply stay out of the water.
8. I do know what swimmers itch is. If you don’t, it is a reaction to tiny parasites in the water that burrow into your skin while you're swimming or wading in warm, calm water. These parasites can’t survive in people, so they soon die, but not before itching like crazy. I don't recall ever getting swimmers itch in a pool.
9. I had brown, Shaun-Cassidy-like hair as a kid, but it turned almost blonde in the summer from all the sun and the chlorine. The whites of my eyes also turned quite red after hours in a swimming pool. Blonde hair was fine. Red eyes weren’t.
10. Of course, as I am learning, lakes do provide a true serenity and a nature refuge that you can’t experience in a pool full of screaming kids.
Regardless of where you prefer to swim, you should take full advantage of it now in the July heat. Because, as we all know, the winter snow will be upon us before we know it.
Have a thoughtful Thursday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com | 
