Fellowship of the Pool

This summer has found me with several opportunities to be at the pool with my daughter. Each experience has been just a bit different based on which pool we were at and if we were there to play or if she was there for swim lessons. One pool experience early on in the summer got me reflecting.

This particular pool experience happened while on vacation. We intentionally had a loose plan with lots of unscheduled time it was bliss. Much of this unscheduled time found us at the pool and because we were at the hotel pools I did not feel a compunction to take the tech to the pool with me. Rather it was kept in the room where it would stay nice and dry. I fully expected that by doing this our little family of three would find ourselves interacting and playing with each other very intentionally. This did happen, but so did something else. We found ourselves talking with the other people at the pool. This is not so new for my daughter; she seems to make friends wherever she goes. My husband coined a great phrase to describe her; she could charm the spots off a ladybug. So her ease in making friends in this tech free time did not surprise me. My husband and I are much more introverted and tend to like to keep to ourselves, so much to our surprise we found ourselves doing much the same thing as our daughter. We were engaging those around us.

This was particularly true in our first stop on vacation in Sedona, AZ, a slower paced more laid back town surrounded by amazing red rock formations. It was here that I began to think about our time at the pool in terms of fellowship. It is amazing what happens when you have a group of strangers gathered together and the cellphones and tablets are NOT present. People begin to talk to each other. It begins simple like what we did that day, any recommendations of places to see or things to do. Then comes the where are you from questions, oh we plan to go there some day, if do you should…. conversations. The moms around the pool eventually turn to the typical mom type conversations. And sometimes the conversations become even deeper, more vulnerable and self-revelatory.

I’m not sure what it is about being around a pool, maybe it has something to do with the very basics of swimwear and the fact that we are stripped of a lot of the trappings we use to distance ourselves from strangers. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we are more relaxed and less burdened by our daily to list. What ever it is that helps this phenomenon, there is one thing that is definite. Community is formed. Even though we knew we would not see each other again most likely, we still took the time to engage and create community. I don’t know if others even knew that was what was happening. The theologian in me certainly was aware of the sacred ground of community I was present to. In Christian circles we often talk about the fellowship of the table; perhaps there is something to be said for the fellowship of the pool.

But then I question do we really need to limit it to just the pool? Is it really the place that creates this, or is it more the intentionality of putting aside our distractions and becoming fully present to our current situation whether it is at the pool or in line at the grocery store. As I have noodled around the experience in Sedona, I have come to the conclusion that yes, this was easier to do at the pool on vacation. But I have also found myself challenged to see how I can find ways to create this on the fly fellowship in other aspects of my life. How would doing so help me to see more of what is good in those around me and find my soul nurtured by these unexpected encounters of community? It is something I seek to explore more and I would invite you on the journey as well.