Farewell Summer

Earlier this week I opened up my window and smelled Fall. 

Then last night at eight I noticed it was dark already.

Then I opened my window around 2 AM because the room was too hot.  And the air outside was cooler.  I didn’t even have to turn on the AC.

The change is irrevocable.  Though the calendar says we have another six days of summer, I know the truth.

Summer is over, and Fall has begun.

It’s not like I don’t like Fall itself.  But in two months or so Winter will come.  It’s already begun.  The days will grow darker and darker until we’re working all the light hours of the day.  And it will get colder outside, so cold that I don’t even want to think about stepping out my door.

And I will hibernate.  Instead of going out in the evenings I’ll stay home curled up playing video games by myself and watching old TV seasons on DVD.

Everyone will be busy.  Everyone hibernates a little in the winter.  And I’ll see people less and laugh less.

Somewhere in the midst of that winter I’ll have to make more decisions about jobs and books and writing and what the heck I’m doing with my life. 

I had a wonderful summer full of friends and laughter and zombies and battles and aliens with sniper rifles.  And now it’s over, and I’ll never get to live that summer again, when all I want it to do is last and last and last.