"Red-Cheeked"

"Whenever I get home - whenever-

somebody loves me there."

It's currently 40 degrees in Howell, NJ. Transitioning from 80 degrees to 40 degrees can make any one's cheeks turn rosy. I'll be traveling on November 24th by plane. I'll get off the plane somewhat absent-minded about the cold because my mind will be preoccupied wondering who will be picking me up. They usually say its just my mom or just my sister, but more than likely a whole crowd will be gathered just around the corner - mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, uncle. Whats funny is that I'm always surprised - genuinely surprised too.
I also start to wonder where they'll be when I get off the plane. Will they be right at the gate, will they be around the corner at the end of the escalator, will they be waiting at baggage claim, or was traffic a little much this time so they will be just pulling up at the curb as I come off the plane? Oh the anticipation is so high every time. I guess 3 months is not the longest span of time to go without seeing someone, but its still is just as exhilarating.
I'll start walking down the narrow awkward aisle of the plane rubbing arms with people I've never met. I'll finally make it out the door into the shockingly breezy hanger that leads us all into the airport. I'll usually turn around to say good bye to whoever it is I befriended on the plane ride. Then the race is on, my heart is beating a million times a second and my mind starts all its wondering. When I finally figure out where they are all standing, I run and embrace whoever gets to me first. My eyes tear up a little - but I hold the tears back so I don't look so silly. I want them to know that I miss them but I don't want them to think I wasn't ok without them either. Anyway, we'll all walk very close together to the baggage claim - my brother-in-law usually grabs my bag and gets one of the first conversations with me while walking to the car.
The automatic doors leading outside slide open and all at once I remember where I am. The cold slaps me in the face. My cheeks turn red almost instantly. My body clings to itself in survival mode. My teeth start to chatter. And I begin to do an awkward trot/jog to the car. The feeling of the cold is overwhelming yet oddly refreshing, because at that moment I know where I am. "Whenever I get home - whenever - somebody loves me there.' Ahh, what a comforting assurance, what a privilege - one that is so often overlooked by those who think that love is the norm.
I loved this poem: "Walking Home From Oak-Head", because this is the time when I cannot wait to have the experience described above. This poem described the feeling of arriving home so wonderfully - as I read it my heart was so pleased. I cannot wait to be home for Thanksgiving!!