“Look at me!
Look at me!
Look at me NOW!
It is fun to have fun
But you have to know how.” — Dr. Seuss
In years past, Halloween is not a holiday I typically celebrated. As a child, I visited a few houses, came home, counted out a handful of Smarties and Snickers, and changed out of my costume. In my teenage years, my mom assigned me to door duty and I handed out candy to kids dressed as bumble bees and Batman. But never once did I feel the urge to dress up, visit a haunted house, or decorate a pumpkin.
This year I don’t know what changed, but something did. October has been an ambivalent month, full of varying emotions, with an inclination toward heartbreak. I’ve talked about my penchant toward melancholy and in some ways I’ve forgotten the joy of participating in silly sheer fun. But yesterday I laughed as I donned on my costume. I slipped on my red and white striped socks, my Cat in the Hat tall hat, and a big red bow tie. My daughter pointed at me and yelled, “My Momma is the Cat in the Hat” and laughed a silly belly laugh. She laughed harder as my husband painted himself in blue grease paint, his attempt to model one of the members of the Blue Man Group.
The silliness of the moment still resonates with me. Sometimes you just need to rediscover how to have fun. I am so glad I did.
Welcome! I am a lawyer turned freelance writer, essayist, and editor. On staff at Literary Mama and the co-founder and co-editor of the literary journal, The Sunlight Press, my essays and reported work have appeared in The Washington Post, The Lily, Saveur, Civil Eats, Brain, Child, ESPN and elsewhere. I am currently at work on a memoir on grief and culture and how it provides perspective on life’s ordinary graces. I invite you to appreciate the ordinary with me. I hope my daily practice of seeing the magic in the mundane helps you celebrate and find more of these moments in your life too.
You look so happy! So glad you had fun.
You guys look awesome! What great costumes.
I didn’t start to participate in Halloween in all the years I’ve been here until my daughter came along. She brought out the silly in me too! 🙂
So glad you found a way to inject some silliness into the melancholy. (I sometimes struggle with that too.) You guys look great! xo
You and Ashish look great! Halloween has always been Dan’s favorite “holiday.” He loves to decorate the house and carve pumpkins and even put on scary/weird masks. I think its a great time to rediscover your inner child and just have fun.
You guys look great! I can’t recall the last time I dressed up for real.
Happy Halloween to you too, Rudri! Looking good 🙂
Awesome. Happy Halloween!
It’s hard not to feel happy on Halloween, isn’t it? Something about the costumes and the candy and the sheer FUN of it all. Hope you didn’t make too much mischief, Cat in the Hat. =>
You are so right!! Sometimes it’s good to be silly and have fun. Love the costumes!
Hey, Rudri! Great costume. I didn’t dress up this year, but we handed out candy for kids and coffee and homemade cookies to adults. It was really a great time. I’m glad you had a good time.
We had 260 kids last night! :o)
Frank and I were Mr. and Mrs. Jack-0-Lantern! (Simple matching tees, but our grandkiddies liked it!) We visited them and enjoyed their costumes, took pictures, sent pictures and received them via i-phone from our daughter (and son-in-law who dresses up with the kids every year:)
I personally love Halloween, and appreciate the spirit of Hallows Eve. I and a few other women gave out candy in our church courtyard on Sunday — that time, I was an angel! It was fun and makes me “lighten up” in the face of very full and busy days . . .
I LOVE YOUR COSTUMES— too cool!
Trish
Great costumes! I have to say, I love the Blue Man Group and for a minute before I read further I was jealous that you actually got to pose with one of them. So glad you got into the spirit of things.
You guys look great! I haven’t dressed up in years, but you make me want to. Sheer silliness is its own reward.
AWESOME! Love Ashish as a Blue Man!