6:00am your day begins
while all of your peers are tucked in their beds with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads
You am jumping into icy cold water
swimming many miles
then trudging out into the snow to return home,
take a nap,
and eat, everything in sight.
When you get to the pool that morning the water is still
as if the air from outside snuck in and froze the top layer into a thin sheet
if only.
goosebumps cover your skin as you meet the water
in a few minutes the sting would be gone
only to be replaced by the soreness of muscles
and warmth of pumping blood.
You do this each day
so you can get better
Because
come January
the Christmas gift you worked so hard for
will finally be delivered.
