No one - aside from the boys - knew about my fascination with this abandoned pool.
Down a long and winding one-way road, deep inside Swope Park, we passed this dilapidated place daily to get Max and Sullivan to their summer camp. And each time, for the past two summers, I slowed down to look for signs of life at this long-forgotten destination.
The fence surrounding it was rusty and overgrown with nature. It looked like it hadn’t been touched since the ‘70s. Lost in time.
Every day as we slowly rounded the corner the boys would throw out guesses as to what treasures or creepy things might lie underneath the leaves and dirt that had collected over the years. I tried to imagine what it looked like on a summer day filled with kids yelling 'cannonball'.
I wondered if my Dad had ever spent time there since he grew up nearby. I feel sure that if I could ask him about it today, he’d have some story to tell. There are not many KC landmarks, big or small, that he couldn’t tell you a crazy tale about.
Then this article popped up in my news feed and I couldn't believe it. It was MY pool! I immediately told the boys to grab their shoes...we were going to see something beautiful.
We took the familiar drive to Swope Park and when we rounded the corner we saw the most welcoming sight...the pool overflowing with color.
They had removed the “no trespassing” sign and the rusty old fence and painted the cement blue. The pool was lined with candles and filled with flowers. The mysterious forgotten form had been given a new purpose. What a beautiful way to make something new again.
I love that someone else saw potential in this lonely old pool. It's story wasn't over yet.
I didn't always have a heart for things like this. When I was growing up my mom made us go antiquing frequently. I say "made us" because we hated it. We spent hours inside those dusty old places. My childhood home was 'shabby chic' waaay before it was actually chic:) And if we were on a road trip and we passed an old run-down barn...we knew we'd have to stop and explore no matter how much complaining we did.
But now I feel fortunate that I was raised to hold more value in something old and with history than in something shiny and new. And somewhere along the way I fell in love with all things worn and weathered too.
It may seem weird to feel so moved by an old pool, but I encourage you to see it for yourself. It's pretty sweet.
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| Max walked the entire perimeter. Fighting the urge to jump in, I’m sure. |
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| Sully adding a flower to the bunch. |
