It's Been A Long Time.

November. This month for me is a whirlwind of emotions. The wind gently tosses your hair across your face as you walk with a hot cup of coffee and a scarf sloppily tied around your neck. Trench coats and knee high gray boots keep you warm and safe from the cold air circling around you. Dancing leaves mock you with a sense of lightness and freedom you will never find.

You look back and remember the warmth of the summer sun on your bare skin and diving into the lake that now chills you to the touch. Soon this will be frozen over, with a neat layer of ice and snow, easily cracked and treacherous.

Christmas music is on the radio, in my opinion, far too early. Winter sports meetings at school are being announced, causing that dreadful recognition that soon I will have to decide, to swim, or not to swim. It's been a while since I've dove into a pool at 5 AM for early morning practices, willingly taking every stroke the coach has demanded of me. But, it's also been a while since I've seen so many people join together, as a team.

Halloween is over. Kids are stashing away their candy in their rooms, so that late at night they can enjoy the satisfaction of eating forbidden sweets. Pillow cases are emptied of their yearly sugar and placed carefully back into place. Rotten pumpkins are thrown away, wasted, dead. It's all over.

Now, we wait. Wait for Thanksgiving. For mashed potatoes and green beans. For family and music. For celebrating. All we can do is wait.