I thought I had done everything right. Every leaf skimmed. Every test strip dipped. Every scoop of pool shocking measured with precision.
But still, the water mocked me with its hazy veil.
Entry One: The False Confidence
I looked at you, my pool, and saw what I wanted to see. You reflected the sky, but beneath that surface, there was unrest. I told myself the filter was fine, that the pH was “close enough.” I shocked you without testing twice. I called it care. You called it neglect.
Entry Two: The Silent Accusation
The filter whispered at night, a low hum of disappointment. The pump’s rhythm slowed, weighed down by my shortcuts. Each cloud in the water was a word I refused to read. Pool shocking was not enough when my own laziness fed the problem.
Entry Three: The Reckoning
I sat by the edge with the water test kit, finally listening. The pH was off, alkalinity drifting like an untethered boat. I cleaned the filter, brushed the walls, and shocked you again, this time with humility.
Entry Four: The Shift
Slowly, the haze began to lift. Not from the chlorine alone, but from the harmony of balance: proper pH, strong circulation, clean filtration. Pool shocking worked only when the rest of the system joined in.
Entry Five: The Water’s Lesson
Cloudiness is never just about chemicals. It is about attention, timing, and respect. You taught me that pool shocking is an act of both science and devotion. And that cloudy water is never just cloudy, it is a message.
The Moral in My Ripples:
- Always test before shocking.
- Keep pH and alkalinity in range.
- Clean and backwash your filter regularly.
- Circulation is the partner pool shocking needs.
- Never assume “good enough” is good enough.
I once thought my clean hands proved I had done my part. Now I know it is the work beneath the surface that counts.
