August Nights

The first night of August I spent in Seattle. It was a cool night, kept warm in the arms of my truest love. The nights of the second week of August mentally transitioned me from a California summer to a final year in Ohio. The summer left behind a past that left me long before I found the strength to actually let it go. I rediscovered in myself what had been burried long ago or perhaps something new that has been waiting to burst for the one who knows how to handle my fragility and my strength. The summer also brought me home to a world of responsibility where I was needed. As I thought about leaving those in need behind as I ventured back to school this fall, I felt guilt, but I forced myself to remember a fact so sure, that just as all my needs are met no matter where I go, so are the needs of those I love met without fail. The third week of August nights physically brought me across the country with a friend so cherished by my side. We braved musty motels with boys jeering outside. We sang to our favorite songs through the desert, through the mountains, and through the corn fields. Eventually, we found ourselves upon our senior year of college, both quite impressed that we made it through all of the last three years to find ourselves still the kinderedest of sprits to one another. And here in the final nights of August I feel content, happy, and alive, though trudging through the muggy late summer air. Tonight I found myself among real friends with real laughter and real conversations. I have found myself in a new world, older, more mature, more enjoyable. It is a world no longer of the impersonations and put-on's, but of being true and being for real. August nights have brought on many a different kind of night, but none would I have wished away. Each has had something to say. August, thank you, you've served me well.