Out the open window of my second-floor apartment I spied the swimming pool below as I threw my heavy textbook onto a table.

My brain told me I should keep hitting the books in preparation for yet another exam, especially if I wanted to finish grad school and get my master’s on time. However, my overheated body told me the day was too hot and the pool too cool for any further rigorous mental toil. So I shucked my study duds, hopped into a bathing suit and grabbed a towel and a magazine and gave into temptation.

The four-building apartment complex in which I live has a large courtyard in the middle, with the swimming pool taking up about a third of that space. I spend many hours there during the afternoons, swimming and sunbathing when I should be studying. Since that’s when most people are at work, I... Read More