By Kate Lewis ’18

Ah, Wakeman, the love of my life. The only reason I have any motivation in me to crawl out of my heavenly bed every morning. My sole motivation to leave the comforting confines of my house at the crack of dawn.

In those ungodly hours of the morning I look forward to getting in my car and gripping the frozen steering wheel with just the pointer finger and thumb of my left hand, as I try to drive in straight line in the midst of my drowsiness. Seven times out of 10 I’ll miss the turn into Wakeman due to my exhaustion, but hey, I enjoy driving another mile out of the way in morning traffic to find a driveway to turn around.

Once parked in the long line of cars I stare at the below freezing temperature on the dashboard of my car for a few minutes. Then the walk. The glorious walk through Wakeman, Bedford and part of Staples.

Wind whips my hair around my frozen face just as the sun is beginning to rise in the distance. The refreshingly bitter temperature somehow seeps directly through my heavy sweater and turns my lips a lovely shade of baby blue.

By the time I reach Staples, my fingers frozen, I look back at my trek and reflect. Before I open the doors, I give my final goodbye. Till 2:15, Wakeman.