I stood there with my test kit, hands shaking, eyes narrowing at the little dropper bottle. The water glowed blue beneath me, mocking me, singing a quiet hymn of chemical imbalance. “The chlorine is high,” it whispered. “And you are low.”
This is my diary. My confession. My redemption arc written in calcium and regret.
Chapter One: The Test That Broke Me
It began on a Tuesday. The sun relentless, the deck hot enough to fry my last shred of patience. I thought I had done it all right. I had measured, poured, even watched a few YouTube tutorials. But as I leaned over the edge and plunged the strip in, the result stared back like a smug judge. Off the charts.
I sat down on the deck, defeated. The high chlorine burned my nose, but worse was the burn in my chest, the guilt that clung like algae to a forgotten corner.
Chapter Two: The Shock That Was Too Much
I remember the night I shocked the pool. Dramatic, I know. The sky was dark, but I was darker inside, determined to fix everything at once. I poured, and poured, and poured. The water fizzed and sparkled, the surface churned like an angry sea. I imagined applause from invisible spectators.
But the next morning, it stared back at me, a little too bright, a little too accusing. My overzealous shock had knocked everything off balance. The pool and I, both gasping.
Chapter Three: The Guilt That Sat Heavy
Days passed. I avoided looking at it directly, as though the water and I were in a silent standoff. The pH had climbed high and I had sunk low. Every bubble on the surface felt like it was laughing at me.
I dreamed of brushing the walls while whispering apologies. Of vacuuming like I was erasing old sins. Of fishing out leaves one by one as penance.
Chapter Four: The Redemption
One morning I woke up determined. I grabbed the brush and scrubbed like I was rewriting my own story. The pH came down. The filter sighed in relief when I finally cleaned it. Slowly, slowly, the water stopped mocking me. It sparkled again; not for me, but despite me.
I took a deep breath. The chlorine was still high, but my spirits had begun to float again.
Lessons Learned
Here’s what I now know, etched in my heart and logged in my test kit:
- High chlorine does not fix bad habits.
- Testing weekly is not enough. Test often and test properly.
- Shocking is not a performance. Measure, and do it right.
- The filter has feelings too. Clean it more often than you want to.
- Guilt does not balance water. Action does.
A Love Letter To The Pool
Dear pool,
You deserved better. You always do. I treated you like an accessory when you are an ecosystem. I dumped chemicals without care, thinking I could bleach away my mistakes. I ignored your quiet cries, your pH protests, your filter fatigue.
But you are still here, forgiving, waiting for me to get it right.
So here’s to better habits. To proper testing. To brushing away regrets. To understanding that high chlorine can’t fix a low commitment.
I promise to stop shocking you with my neglect.
Case closed.
