I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting this Halloween season. Halloween isn’t a typical time for reflecting but I do it every year. Halloween used to be my favorite time of year as a child – better than my birthday or even Christmas.
Every year, I’d plan out my costume well enough ahead of time and work on building my costume. (Though for my younger years, the credit goes to my mom.) But the best part of the year was when Grandpa came to get me for our trick-or-treat excursions in a complementary costume. Prince Charming when I was Cinderella, a baby bottle when I was a preteen baby, a long-haired hippie when I went through my cool stage, and my favorite year, a blue M&M to compliment my red M&M.
Sure my sisters and my dad went along but everyone knew what Grandpa and I had was special. You couldn’t fake this level of style. We had it and we knew it.
My grandpa was many things to me over the years but overall, he was my best friend. He inspired me to be different and be creative but more than anything, he taught me to be proud of that. Grandpa is the reason I smile when people call me weird. Halloween is the time for masks and costumes but by using those things, Grandpa ended up teaching me how to better express myself without needing to hide behind those things. A costume is great but you can’t wear it all the time. I sure tried but it got me into some trouble. I’d like to think that with every passing day, I show the world more of me. I’d like to think that but I know there are days I still try to hide myself from the critics and naysayers.
You can be anyone you want to be on Halloween but the biggest challenge of them all is to be who you really are.
Just Ryn 
It’s great you had someone in your life that was able instill a desire for creativity and individuality. Those are very valuable characteristics in a society that heavily promotes conformism.
At my advanced age, I become more and more comfortable with being “weird” and care less and less about what anybody thinks of me.
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Ryn…very special posting you’ve made. I’m a grandpa, you’re close in age to my oldest granddaughters. (+/-)… It is great to hear that we make a difference in the lives of little girls ( and guys) that we hold very very close to our hearts. It’s great to hear that you had positive reinforcement from Grandpa. Very Very sentimental for me. As always, love your thoughts and posts.
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This is one of your more prolific posts, dear Ryn. Insightful and effulgent. Makes me want to cry more! But you are sharing some truisms as well. And those kinds of universal truths are what we writers are all about. Brava!
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