The first day of October is drawing ever so near...
I wander around my garden paths hand in hand with the changing weather.
My stomach is a butterfly flutter waiting to explode.
This always happens when Pumpkin Holiday is approaching.
I want to sop up all the buttery goo of roasted brown sugar pumpkin surprise (is that a thing?), with a perfectly roasted giant marshmallow.
(and I don't even like sweets!)
I want to twirl at midnight with striped stockings and cackle so madly that all the black cats come over to dance on two legs.
Of course, they'd find my cackling to be pure unfiltered opera, of the hollow's eve variety.
And some might even tape me with an old tape recorder they found in an abandoned attic they live in.
And for fun, they might even play back my cackles on extra high speed.
Black cats are so misunderstood you know, they really are true jokers.
Every time they saunter calmly down the road in their black fur, as you happen to be driving by, they roll on their backs laughing madly in the bushes afterwards at the mere absurdity of the fact that you think they brought you bad luck.
Those felines have such a wicked sense of humor.
But where was I?
Oh yes, butterflies and Pumpkin Holiday (notice how I cap that?)...
(and by the way, Pumpkin Holiday is from October 1 to October 31 in my mind)
The month flies at us and then disappears like gold dust slipping through our fingers.
I just sighed (for real) thinking about the speed in which these 31 days pass by.
And so, we have mere moments before the time begins on October 1st.
The hourglass rushing by.
Must not even drop a morsel of the magic.
So, I thought there would be no harm in beginning a tad bit early.
Just slightly tapping a toe into the near future.
And wouldn't you know, no sooner had I thought the thought than something found its way to me.
Something, mostly ghostly I guess you could say.
A love letter to a ghost.
It reads -
"Often I would like very much to tell you about my day. About the flowers and the trees -
About the changing weather.
But I am not certain you can hear me.
Could you find a way to let me know?"
But then I thought -
Perhaps the ghost is the one who wrote the letter.
?
What do you think?
What is your take on the tale?
And if a person wrote it instead of a ghost -
And somehow you happened to be said person -
What would be your preferred choice of being contacted?
Would you like to be tapped on the shoulder?
Would you like a candle to light itself.
Or a mirror to fall off a wall?
(that just happened to me)
Or would you like to see him or her in a beam of light?
A silhouette at golden hour.
And what if your fur already knew they were there.
(which of course they do right?)
Matty sometimes does his downward dog and then leaps around as he does around the hatter.
Giving off kind little yelps of joy as he hops around in circles, as though engaging with someone.
Only - no one is there.
He is often on the driveway alone, playing with someone we can not see.
He started doing this as a baby and still does it 10 years later.
And supposing you did say to the ghost, go ahead and tell me you are there...
Would you be too terrified to cope if it really happened?
Or would you be open?
My whole family is full of ghost stories, especially my grandmother.
(my dad thinks it's all hogwash and nonsense of course)
I remember sitting around the long wooden table by the lake on family trips -
My grandmother telling true ghost tales that would make me tremble with goosebumps and fear.
But I wanted to hear more and more.
I could never get enough.
And boy did she weave a beautiful tale enough to spook me and leave me with visuals so engrained in my mind, that I can hear her telling them to me even now, as though she was sitting right by me all these years later.
Pumpkin Holiday does not have to be spooky.
It can be all about harvest and changing leaves I know.
But for one month out of the year, I always get a little bit more intrigued by mysteries of the unknown.
Maybe that is why I love October and Halloween so much.
It reminds me of all my wonderful childhood memories.
Of my grandma's stories, of hay rides and costumes and the whole family taking part.
The sparkle, the music, popcorn, movies, candy corns, caramel and candy apples - oh endless things.
But especially, it gave us permission to have the wildest imagination we could conjure up.
Even for just 31 days.
Sometimes even just for one day.
Amazing how one day could leave such a lasting impression.
After that, the trick (or treat) is learning how to harness that freedom of self and joy whenever we would like, isn't it?
And so I say, let's get ready to plunge into October magic, I simply can not wait!!!
Do you have wonderful childhood memories of autumn and Halloween?
October love forever,
Vanessa
See you soooooon <3 <3 <3
ps: The most amazing thing just happened.
Quite on an otherworldly wave length actually.
I visited the spam folder to my comments section...
Lo and behold, there were gobs of comments from dearest friends all throughout 2018 and 2019 that I had no idea about. Some even from 2017 but then I could not retrieve anymore, I saved what I could. I am so so so so utterly sorry that I had no idea some comments were being bumped into spam. I just saved them all. But reading them was like going back in time - and the comments were so meaningful even for now.
I am sorry to everyone who left comments and they didn't post, I am not sure how spam is decided but from now on I will check it regularly and retrieve your precious comments should they somehow fall down that rabbit hole! xoxo
pps: also, I am answering comments in the comment sections of each post <3
