Pool Guy Finds Hidden Truth and Beauty in Water Composition

Jesse the Pool Guy

Chapter 8

By Bob Deakin

“Find truth and beauty in everything” is a quote attributed to no one in particular. However, it has become a favorite of Jesse the pool guy. He’s not into poetry like he is chemicals, but our young pool service technician is growing up.

His employer, Smart Pools, is looking for a new slogan, and he aims to find it.

“It might be water and chemicals to you, but it’s our lifeblood,” is one he wrote while vacuuming a pool last week. It’s not quite there, but close. 

Truth and Beauty in Septic Logos

Jesse was inspired by the slogan he saw on a septic service truck: “It might be sewage to you, but it’s our bread and butter.” He’s looking for the same dark incongruity, but pool water doesn’t carry the same indignity.

“We balance what matters,” is another option on his list. He’s also considering, “We dive where others won’t,” but doesn’t see it on a company truck. “It may smell like bleach to you, but to us it’s plain old trichloroisocyanuric acid” is in the editing phase.

His last is “Smart Pools: Where chemistry meets craftsmanship.”

The company’s owner has a huge ego. How could he not like that one? Especially after a cocktail.

A Day of Chemical Emotions

Friday was a special one for Jesse at the Levine family pool, his favorite customer. While testing free chlorine, pH, total alkalinity, and calcium, the beauty of the moment drove him to tears. While their compositions differ, the pH and salinity of pool water closely mirror those of human tears.

What a beautiful truth! If he weren’t a pool guy, he never would have figured that out.

No one would ever swim in a pool that stings their eyes. That’s a truth discovered by his pool guy ancestors from the Middle Ages, Jesse figures.

You could also use a salt system, which is even easier on the eyes, though less poetic.

Find Truth and Beauty in Everything

The sparkle of the water, the rippling cadence of the filtration system, and the whir of the pump heater all make for a sensory spectacle in Jesse’s mind. Add a songbird and the shouts of a happy family, and that’s what makes it all worthwhile.

A swimming pool is a magical place, especially if you get the customer to spring for the comprehensive, full-service maintenance plan. Where else can you walk onto someone’s property unannounced and start playing with their pool equipment?

Being a pool service professional is not only a privilege but a calling, and Jesse has eagerly answered the divine summons to serve.

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