I have seen it enough. Friends, acquaintances, family members of friends somehow get to the realization that whatever struggle is paramount in their lives is simply insurmountable. No one should ever feel that alone. There is simply no better time of the year than football season. The sound of dry leaves blowing on pavement sounds like the wind has feet, and is running to catch you.
Football is in the air.
The air is simply thick with nostalgia, hope, and glory. The sweetest days of my youth were spent on those fall mornings at Virginia Tech. I was going to live forever. Twelve students lost their lives when the traditional bonfire pyre they were helping build, collapsed. The weeks and months of preparation ended in seconds.