What's This All About...

Who Peed In the Pool™ is a chapter in my book, Living by the Boomerang. It highlights the simple truth that our actions and decisions reach far beyond ourselves. I call this the Pool Principle™. So when choices are made that have a negative impact on those around us, I refer to it as peeing in the pool. Here's a synopsis of the story that launches the conversation of impact and responsibility.

The Story...

As a boy, I would look forward to swimming in Miss June's pool. She had the only pool in the neighborhood. Ms. June was a short, stout, harsh-looking woman with a raspy voice to match. If we cut through her yard, she would yell at us with one hand on her hip and the other one wagging a cigarette at us. But she had a soft spot. Every summer she would let all the neighborhood kids swim in her pool - all day - for twenty-five cents!

About a month into my first summer of being priveleged to swim at Miss June's, it was a typical, scorching-hot Louisiana day. I bee-lined for the pool, flipped a quarter in the coffee-can and jumped right in. Everyone was laughing and yelling and splashing. Then suddenly, the shouts of laughter turned into shrieking screams, and every kid was bailing out of the pool like lemmings in reverse migration. When there's a sudden change in the water temperature, the news spreads fast!

Miss June came out shouting, "What's going on out here!" No one was bold enough to claim credit for the incident, though we were certainly willing to blame each other. Accusations were being hurled -- fingers were pointing -- denials were flying. It was chaotic. Miss June got so furious she said, "I don't care who did it. Until you can learn to follow the rules, the pool is closed!" And she kicked us all out.

On the way out, we were still pushing and shoving each other. She even had a bathroom we could use off the side of her garage. On the outside wall of the bathroom hung the list of rules. Next to the rules was a sign with a big red arrow that pointed toward the bathroom:

Miss June closed the pool for two weeks that summer. Every day we sat lined-up on the curb. All with our chin in our hands; hot, miserable, whining, complaining, elbowing, punching and poking. It was a miserable two weeks.

Keeping the Pool Clean

Accidents happen. Some are made by others. Some are made by us. Whether it's an honest mistake, laziness or deliberate, to get the results that put us at our best, we must become aware of the impact of our choices. Awareness comes through sharing and we want to hear from you!

Tell us about the "accidents" happening in your pool. Share your frustrations, experiences, or observations in or out of the workplace.

You can use stories or pictures or video. This one made me scratch my head:

Whether it's funny, serious or simply brings awareness to others about the impact of their actions, decisions and choices, you can post it or send it to us:

• Who Peed In The Pool Facebook Page
• If you prefer, click here to email it and I'll post it for you.

Thanks for helping us keep the pool clean!