a day at the pool

What is a big deal, and maybe even a painful event to a child, later becomes nothing more than a silly memory often times.  Our view of the world is so different at a young age, and big events then, are now a mere faded thoughts.  When I was around six or seven  years old, I usually wanted to do everything my older brother did- the hardcore tagalong.  My family is from Minneapolis, but we have actually been coming out here to Montana visiting family friends etc. during the summers for as long as I can remember.  One of the traditions has always been to make a stop by the (especially then) glorious Chico Hot Springs in Paradise Valley.  The pool is where we would spend most of our time.  Among our group there were the adults, the "older kids," the "younger kids," and then the really little kids.  I would have at this point been considered a younger kid, stuck in the middle of the two more well-defined  children's groups. When you're a "younger kid" all you really want to be is older so you can do all of the things that those ahead of you can.  I wasn't a proficient swimmer at this point in my life, and adamantly not allowed to play in the deep end with my brother and the kids who seemed so much cooler just for being older.  This one summer I refer to was especially tormenting as I recall.  It was the biggest let down and embarrassment to have to stay behind.  My mom not wanting me to drown didn't occur to me then, only how horrible she was for making me stay in the uncool shallow end with the "really little kids" - what a drag.  My pride had been shot down and the sooner we left the pool, the better.    

As taunting as some of our childhood memories may be, perhaps everything that has and does happen to us is all for one reason or another.  Class on Monday continuously reflected on the idea of chance, coincidence, accidents, fate and similarly related notions.  As we can more easily see in the literature world, nothing just happens for the sake of happening.  One thing leads to another, over and over again, bringing us to a usually some kind of profound conclusion.  I cannot say what the reason was, if at all there was a reason for my miserable day at the pool so many years ago, but who is to say it didn't have an affect on other events in my life?  Maybe it had something to do with my becoming an accomplished and competitive swimmer later on down the road.  Swimming actually became the center of my world during the high school years in particular, and I loved it. It's strange to think of cause and effect.  Are all things simply up to chance and factual probability, or is there some bigger, less obvious event happening?  Maybe providence really does play a part in the way of things, or something similar to it.  Within the controlled existence of literature, because it is created by an author, it can contain such a concept with sure doubt or certainty.  However in reality there is not way of definitively knowing why circumstances come about as they do.  There being a reason for everything though, does give some comfort with regard to the seemingly unfair and cruel occurrences.  At the moment it happens, our minds dwell on the event at hand only, but without our knowing perhaps there are unseen connections linking one thing to the next. Coincidence is just a name given to something we can't explain, and usually react to with surprise.  From this we get the common question, "What are the chances of that happening?!"  And if you have no other response in mind, "one in three" I think we've decided is a safe bet (or maybe just an inside class joke).   

some vocab...

salutary- promoting or conducive to some beneficial purpose

eviscerate- to remove the contents of

prig- displaying of exaggerated propriety

pander- person who caters to or profits from the weaknesses or vices of others

archetype- original pattern or model