The Death of a Good Friend

The best part about close friends is that they’re someone you can “download” with. You come to them and get to spill whatever it is that’s on your mind. And you come away refreshed. Most likely, your problem hasn’t necessarily been solved by hanging out and talking with your friend, but you feel better.
Well, yesterday when I came home to my apartment around 8pm I heard some really sad news. My neighbor explained to me that they will be draining the pool in the center of our apartment complex and getting rid of it. My heart broke. Now, you’re wondering what I’m talking about. Well you see, it’s like this: I love swimming in the pool in my complex. For the past 2 and a half years I have loved coming home from work, and jumping in the pool for a bit. I jump in the pool at least every few days. For me, something about it is like “downloading” with a good friend. Jumping in the water, splashing around a bit and relaxing in the pool has almost been a sacred time for me. I love it. It’s 15 minutes of peace and rest that separates a hard day at work from the rest of the evening ahead. I come out refreshed and clean both mentally and physically.
So when I heard this awful news I genuinely felt my heart drop. I know it sounds a bit strange that I connect such human emotion to an object, but I have to be honest –that is how I feel!
The management is getting rid of the pool in order to cut operational costs, as well as reduce liability. It’s a heartless business strategy. The cost to remove the pool is astronomically higher than the $30 a week they pay the dude who cleans the pool. And no one has ever had an accident in the pool since it was put in 1965. Neither reason makes sense.
No one in the 50+ unit apartment complex was warned that the pool would be gone. They also started jack-hammering the concrete at 7:30am without warning. Furthermore, they will be raising our rent in order to make these “aesthetic improvements.” WHAT?! Higher rent and less amenities? That is the way of corporate America that sees numbers and not faces. If the people who managed the complex would ask the tenants what they thought about getting rid of the pool, and could feel the sadness and loss that we feel (especially those with kids, who LOVE the swimming pool) I know they’d have a harder time with the decision. But since whoever it is that owns/manages the property probably lives in East New Bumblestupid or someplace nowhere near here, our faces and voices don’t matter. Only our money does.
Now that I’m done ranting, I’ll conclude with a happy thought: I still pay way less rent living where I do than almost anyone in Old Town. It’s a gift and blessing from the Lord, and I'm extremely thankful.