Last winter (you know the one – when that hard freeze zapped every exposed leaf in the yard into a sad, shriveled mess) my husband and I bought a new home. Two of my favorite things (other than said husband) are water and vitamin D, so I was particularly excited our new home came with a pool. For months, we’ve been staring longingly at it, listening to the trickling water features as our teeth chattered in the winter air. We checked the chemical levels daily, adjusting and fine-tuning. We skimmed it, emptied the leaf trap, and kept a watchful eye over the cleaning robot rolling across the bottom. 

I grew up with a backyard pool, so the first plunge of the season has always signaled the blessed arrival of summer. End of school. Lazy days splashing in the water and soaking up the sun. This year, when that day finally arrived – the day the water temperature finally reached near 70 degrees and it was “safe to go into the water” – it was just as fabulous as I’d hoped. 

As I lounged atop my float – a zero- gravity number with cup holders and a pillow – I recalled the things that made my childhood summers special. Yes, it was the laziness of it all, but also it was the metaphorical exhale after the school year. That feeling of, “Yeah, I rocked it.” It made me think about our Bright From the Start kids this year. I realized just how hard they must work during the school year in order to accomplish what they do. The thought of their dedication makes me not only admire them immensely but also sincerely hope that this summer they each find their very own equivalent of my zero-gravity float. That place that allows them to metaphorically exhale and say, “Yeah, I rocked it.”