The Five Mineral Pools

First of all, can I just say that the Swiss Alps have nothing on the Canadian Rockies. Alps Shmalps. The CR's not only are huge but they actually look as big as they are. Millions of years of glaciers have left them twisted in all sorts of crazy shapes, unpredictably craggy. Poetic, really. Yesterday, I went to a day spa for the first time in my life in Banff, Alberta, which is a resort town kind of like Park City. After a day of hiking with kids and wandering around and getting dirty, it felt a little silly all of us walking into this fancy shmancy spa looking like death. But I guess it didn't really matter to them what we looked like as long they had our business.

Christina and I were scheduled for the first two relaxation massages, which were pretty much amazing. After my massage ended, I wandered back upstairs alone in a sort of relaxed daze to go put on my bathing suit. After i was properly attired i wandered back downstairs in my white fluffy robe and into the steam/pool area. I skipped the steam-room and the inhalation room/sauna and wandered dreamily into the pool area. I found Sue, Bec and Mary swimming in the center of the medium sized, circular pool. The beckoned me to join them--like Sirens, I might add. I threw my robe, towel, and water-bottle on a chair, walked over to the steps, and gingerly stepped down into the warm, minerally water. The floor was a mosaic of green and blue tiles, and the amphibious strains of the spa music could be heard underwater. Surrounding this central pool were three other small, hot-tub like pools with small waterfalls pouring into them. My sisters, who have been swimming for a while, tell me that I must experience all the pools, and play the little game they had made up, which was to reveal certain things about oneself in each of the five pools.

The Dreams Pool
The first pool was the first, small, waterfall pool. It was cold, like a real swimming pool. I immediately felt giddy when i stepped in and shrieked when i put my head under the waterfall. This was the pool where we revealed our dreams. Shivering, laughing nervously, and frankly anxious to get out of the cold pool, I revealed my dream of writing really good fiction, of singing in a band someday, and...last but not least...of being able to find someone who was charismatic and NOT a jerk. (Does such a man exist?)

The Crushes Pool
This pool seems a little silly since most of our party was already married. But we called it the movie-crush pool where we revealed which actors we found the most compelling. This pool was a perfect 98 F degree relief from cold pool, and i would have happily died in its waters....But anyway. My movie crushes were the following for the following reasons. 1)Jim Caviezel, because he is beautiful and gentle-mannered. 2)Joaquim Phoenix, for exactly the same reasons. and 3) Robert Downey Jr., because he is totally and completely fascinating.

The Grudges Pool
This was a small, hot, steamy waterfall pool where, obviously we revealed the people whose faces we'd like to see smeared in the mud. Again, this was a huge joke, because Thomases are emotionally incapable of holding grudges. But we revealed things that had hurt us in the past. jokingly, of course.

The Changes Pool
This was the bigger mosaic pool in the middle of the room with the music playing under water where we revealed what we were going to change. I resolved that I would try not to be intentionally rude to people anymore. it sounds weird that i would be intentionally rude to people in the first place--and it is--but my problem is that when i see what i deem to be inexcusable character flaws in people, i can't seem to help picking at them and irritating them. I resolved to be a nicer person inwardly and outwardly.

The Confessions Pool
This one was a small, spiral of a hot tub outside. It was chilly and misty, but delicious and warm in the water. I think the title we gave this pool makes it pretty obvious what we revealed. My revelation was a little embarassing, but not because i'd been caught doing something or anything like that. My confession was simply this--and i am ashamed to admit it: the grudge I claimed to have been over, there in the grudge pool...I hadn't quite found forgiveness yet. And it still smarts. But I am trying so hard.

I went through this little game twice, once with my sisters, and once with my mom when she finished her massage. It was more flippant than anything, but the important thing was time spent with people I love so, so much.