All Soul's Food

I have two overriding memories of Halloween from my youth:

1. I grew up in Maine, where October can -- and sometimes should -- be considered winter lite so no matter what your costume was, you were sort of going to look like the Stay-Puft Marshmellow Man once you put your parka on over the costume... and the parka was ABSOLUTELY necessary due to the cold. Good times.

2. Once I got egged. In the head/face. While my sister and cousins pointed and laughed ... which, actually, is sort of what always happened when my sister and I hung out with my cousins... which might explain why I liked to stay inside and read more than I liked going outside to play. (It's a funny story, but not for right now.)

Despite those two ... inconveniences ... I love Halloween for the same reason I love theatre. I love a costume. I love the "Look, now I'm someone else! Someone different! Maybe someone cooler, prettier, less likely to get egged in the noggin or mocked by her cousins!"* I LOVE dressing up.

I love it, but I haven't done it in YEARS.

I have to confess, whenever I catch myself saying something like that, something along the lines of "Oh I love that and I haven't done it in forever," I am forced to wonder: What am I waiting for?  Why do I -- why do any of us -- forget that it's important to play, to do the things that we enjoy and that make us laugh? Why do the things that we love get shot so far down the list of important stuff to do that we just stop doing them?

I'm not suggesting that the other stuff -- the less fun stuff -- on the list isn't important. It is. I'm just also suggesting that the things that you love -- the things that make you happy, that bring you joy -- shouldn't be dismissed as unimportant, or pushed out of your life because, you know, there's work and dishes to do and soccer games to go to and homework to finish. Those things are important. So too is making the time to do something you love, whether that's going to the movies or taking a hike or putting together a Halloween costume.

Doing things that you love? Feeds your soul, which is every bit as important as feeding your stomach. Try to make some time for it. And so this year, I am silly with the costume fun. I'm not going to tell you what I'm going to be, but I will say: It's involved. It's over the top in terms of investment. And oh my, I am excited.

 (Don't worry. Pictures will be posted).

*Not that I'm holding on to that. Clearly.