Thoughts About Halloween

Halloween is just a few days away. This holiday has always fascinated me. So many people adore it. I think it's quite fun, but I've sometimes wondered what all the fuss is about.

Some of my fondest memories involve crunching through autumn leaves with my little kids, trick-or-treating through the neighborhood.

One year, we embraced a family Toy Story costume theme: my husband as Woody, me as Bo Peep, our oldest daughter as Jessie, our son as Buzz Lightyear, and our baby girl as a lamb. It was a truly special day.

These are the things I've noticed about Halloween:

• We like dressing up and being something or someone else for a day. Even if it requires face paint, wigs, masks, awkward props, and being super uncomfortable.

• We like scary things, included haunted houses with dead people walking around spooking us.

• We LOVE candy, especially chocolate—because who dares offer anything else these days?

• We host costume parties with exciting prizes and creative treats that resemble skeletons, witches, and spiders (homemade Oreo spider cookies are my personal favorite).

• We meet neighbors we've never encountered before and trust them to give our kids candy!

• We carve pumpkins and transform our yards with extravagant decorations (the abundance of giant skeletons in my area suggests a Costco special one year).

• We love big emotions, including things that make us feel creepy and uncomfortable--even terror! (as long as we know it's fake).

Aren't these things fascinating?

And truthfully, some people LOVE Halloween and others HATE it. The exact same holiday.

Because Halloween itself isn't fun or terrible. Halloween is just a holiday; and depending who you are, you might think its amazingly fun or absolutely dreadful.

Just like school isn't boring or exciting.

Cold weather is neither good nor bad.

Even getting fired from a job is neutral because you never know if there's a better job just around the corner.

Our thoughts about something determines how we feel about it, regardless of what it is.

So, whenever you find yourself disliking something or feeling bored, consider that your thoughts might be influencing your experience.

Try to neutralize your thoughts and notice how much lighter you feel.

Wishing you a delightful Halloween, however you choose to celebrate!