Happy Halloween!

I have mixed feelings about this holiday. Costumes, trick-or-treating, pumpkin carving — they were fun. But I wondered if this was more or less a trivial pursuit?

As I’ve thought about it more recently, I like how it approaches an emotion difficult to understand: fear. At best, fear can protect us; but at worst, fear can debilitate us.

But Halloween can give us little moments to feel fear without being afraid. It celebrates an emotion that is typically pushed down. Going to a haunted house or watching a scary movie, we can experience fright in a safe way.

And like a good friend, we can seek to understand it. And maybe have a scary good time along the way. 👻