Just One Day

As I'm about to strip the Halloween ghouls and ghosts from the facade of our house, I find myself asking "Is it all worth it for just one day?" 

Ever since I was a wee girl, I've loved Halloween; it's up there with Christmas for me. As far back as I can remember I expended all my creative energy conjuring up fabulous costume ideas and spent even more hours bringing them to life. I never asked for help. In Scotland where I grew up, it wasn't a tradition to decorate houses. So you can imagine my delight when we bought our house in Harlem (after condo living in lower Manhattan), I could finally let my inner Halloween spirit, go nuts!

For the past two weeks I‘ve been sick with a horrible cold and had very low energy. And so this year on the run up to Halloween I was a little less spirited than usual.  I even thought about not participating.  It’s only one day for goodness sakes....

But alas I couldn't do that, so I mustered up as much energy as I could and with no dress rehearsals, I did manage to pull it all off.  I didn't do quite as much as I normally do, but I had a fabulous time anyway.  I'm particularly driven because I love Halloween and love to share that enthusiasm with my kids, but more so now because of my neighborhood.  

I have a friend who has lived in Harlem all her life, and she said when she grew up there was not a soul on the streets on Halloween; it was just way too dangerous. Over the past four years our block and four others has become quite the thing on Halloween.  We have trick or treaters coming from all over to our wee slice of Manhattan.  It makes me emotional every year to watch all these excited wee Harlemites climbing up our stoop, barely able to take their eyes off our freakish made up faces as they dip their terrified wee hands into our candy bowl for their treasure. What a treat it is for us. 

Ghouls and Ghosts on our house

Scary family

Scary family again...

So as we move forward into the season where life can get crazy, for one day in November and one day in December, I will remember the joy my creative efforts bring and be grateful.  But I will also remember like I did on Halloween “easy does it” and only do what I can manage so that my delight doesn't get lost in the exhaustion of it all.

Much joy!

Debbie