TO KNOW ME IS TO LOVE ME

     There’s something comforting about cleaning an entire house especially when done with a group of friends, each upholding their own role—wiping, scrubbing, sweeping or vacuuming. Moving in tandem.       After rising from our slumber on our last day at the lake we made coffee with the remaining bit of grounds–perfectly used up. H answered a few calls, I responded to a few emails and then we, along with B and L, began cleaning the house early despite our train not arriving till the late afternoon. Starting early to finish early. We needed the time to revel in the remaining moments of the lake house season. We cleaned to the tune of Pink Floyd’s  The  Dark Side of The Moon , getting lost in our tasks.      Once the last of my cleaning was finished I ran outside, down to the dock, and took a long deep breath. I watched as the vaporous clouds weaved through the autumn trees and wafted above the water. Wind pushed around a mistin...

7:00 am      I was dreaming of my elementary school before my alarm quietly woke me. Blinking my self awake and lying there not wanting to get up, I could still picture the lingering sensation of my haze. It was summertime. Late afternoon sun came through the window and cast itself onto the floor. Dust slowly shifted in the streams of light and loud cicadas droned on over the whole scene. I could hear faint laughter though no one was there. I walked down the same hall—again and again. I felt warm.       56° outside. The heater in our building had kicked on.      On the train, I closed my eyes and sank back into my dream, trying to trace the memory of my school. I thought of the decorations in each classroom, how they would change with the seasons. October with motifs of jack-o'-lanterns and autumn leaves can be recalled so vividly. I thought of cutesy paper boarders lining the bulletin boards in class and field trips to the orchard to wa...

  6:30 am      I was having an extremely vivid dream about something that doesn’t matter now before H nudged me awake to turn off the alarm faintly chiming. Our room was washed in a bright orange. Eyes focusing, I could see the sun rising over the church at the end of the street. I sat up briefly and looked at the bronze light forming on the buildings towards the west. The gathering of birds atop the church looked to still be sleeping.  This was the second week we spent without blinds. I didn't mind it at all. I drifted back into my dream, hitting snooze over and over again until finally getting out of bed at 7:30.      As I was getting ready, I startlingly realized what day it was and felt unnerved. The last day of September.  Where had my mind been?  I’ve spent the entire month wanting so badly to go home. Home to see my parents. I wanted to see the leaves change. Wanted to wake up and head downstairs to make coffee and sit on their bi...