As a camp counselor, I recently spent the afternoon at the pool with a group of children from our nature camp. The kids ranged in age from 5 to 12, but what really separated them wasn’t age. It was swimming ability.
Before anyone could jump in, each child had to take a swim test. Those who passed, sported green bands on their wrists and earned complete freedom. They could swim anywhere in the pool, venture into the deep end and even climb the ladder to jump off the diving board.
The others—the swimmers who hadn’t yet passed—were fitted with brightly colored safety vests and restricted to a three-foot-deep section of the pool enclosed by floating ropes.
It was easy to tell who had the better deal. Or so I thought.
As I watched the afternoon unfold, something unexpected happened. The children in the roped-off section were having the time of their lives.
They splashed. They laughed. They invented games. They cheered each other on. They weren’t staring longingly into the deep end or complaining about where they couldn’t go. They were completely absorbed in the joy of where they were. In their minds, they weren’t really restricted.
What surprised me even more was what happened next. The children who had passed the swim test—the ones with access to the entire pool—kept drifting back toward the roped-off section. They had the freedom to swim anywhere. They could dive. They could explore the deep end. But they kept coming back because that’s where the fun was.
Counselors constantly had to remind them, “Remember, if you have the green bands, you can go anywhere.”
Some friend groups were divided by swimming ability. Going to the pool was fun, but going to the pool with your friends was the best part. It wasn’t the pool, it was the people.
The only real tension came when friendships crossed the rope. A child in the deep end wanted to play with a friend wearing a life vest. No problem. But when a child in the shallow end wanted to follow their best friend to the diving board. Suddenly, the rope mattered. In the end, most of the children ended up playing together in the shallow end.
This day at the pool got me thinking about wealth and money. Maybe we’ve been measuring it all wrong. Watching those children made me wonder how often we confuse access with fulfillment.
The stronger swimmers had more options. The weaker swimmers had more connection. And the swimmers with the most freedom kept choosing the place with the fewest privileges because that’s where the laughter was—and the community.
Isn’t that what we do with money?
We chase bigger houses, higher salaries, luxury vacations and the next financial milestone because we assume that’s where happiness lives. But once we get there, we often discover something surprising.
The things we really crave—community, belonging, peace, purpose, shared experiences—can’t be purchased. Money can buy access. It can’t manufacture joy.
At SaveYourSelf, that’s exactly what we’re working toward—giving women the knowledge and confidence to make choices instead of being trapped by circumstances.
But here’s what a day at the pool really demonstrated. Freedom and joy aren’t always synchronized. Some people with very little are laughing harder than people with everything. Money expands your options; it doesn’t automatically expand your happiness.
The children wearing life vests weren’t sentenced to the shallow end forever. They simply hadn’t passed the swim test—yet. With practice, instruction and confidence, many of them would eventually earn access to the entire pool. But even as summer went on, they kept coming back to the roped-in section.
That’s how financial literacy works. Maybe today your budget feels restrictive. Maybe you’re saying no to vacations, restaurants or impulse purchases. Maybe you’re building an emergency fund, one paycheck at a time, while everyone else seems to be diving into luxury. It can feel like you’re living inside the ropes.
But those ropes don’t define you. They’re simply the place where you’re practicing.
In the meantime, don’t wait until you reach the deep end to enjoy your life. Celebrate where you are. Laugh in the three-foot section. Build the skills that will eventually carry you farther.
And when your time comes to swim anywhere you choose, you’ll appreciate the freedom even more because you’ll remember what it took to get there.
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