I wrote this post for another site, but I guess it was too girly for them to post ;p I like it though, and wanted to share it with you.
Oh baby, I love Autumn, but more than
that, I love October! The sharp, crisp frosted air in the morning the falling
leaves, the days of hot apple cider and cool nights huddled inside with a
special someone. Not to mention Samhain and Halloween whichever
you celebrate, this is the month it happens.
I don’t know about you, but Halloween
and all it encompasses makes me a bit giddy. The costumes, make-up, strange
snacks (have you eaten finger cookies lately?) bonfires and foggy nights, the
pranks we pull on each other, parties that run late into the night, favorite
scary movies we watch every year, the laughter and whispered stories that make
the hair stand up on the back of our necks and give goose bumps all over our
bodies; maybe I love this because I write horror, but I think it’s more than
that.
The whole idea that the distance
between the living and the dead thins on that one special night gives me, not
unpleasant, chills. I mean, who wouldn’t want to have one last chance to speak to
a loved one who’s passed on before their time? Again though, it’s more than
that, I believe it is a visceral understanding that one day we will be the ones
on the other side and that our loved ones may be reaching out across to us for
comfort and that one last goodbye.
This time for celebrating the darker
side of life, the fears, terrifying thrills and sweet startling scares, I
believe, that they remind us of one very powerful thing. We are alive, the
darkness hasn’t closed in over us . . .yet. And that is the same visceral
understanding of the darkness that draws us to horror stories. We read things
that, at times, leave us quaking with fear, unable to sleep, startled by shadows
in the night. But as long as we feel these intense emotions, can hear the thump
of our blood pounding in our ears, the harsh rasp of our own breathing . . . we
are alive.
Horror, thrillers and other related
writing can bring us as much gratitude for our lives as a self help book, if we
stop to recognize our reasons behind our love of the darkness, and all the
richness and appreciation they can bring to each of us.
So rather than grabbing “Oprah’s”
pick and searching out some gem for renewed happiness, grab a book that
encompasses all that the darkness COULD be, and be glad that your
life holds none of it.
Happy Hallowe'en!
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