I went out on Halloween night. On purpose.
Everyone knows I don’t love Halloween. In the past, that just went unsaid. This year I said it out loud, to more people than usual. I explained why I was passing on a night out at places like the Eastern State Penitentiary. Somehow, saying it made the whole thing a little better.
We didn’t dress up. We went out to dinner, then walked to a cocktail bar for drinks. Everywhere we went, people were in costume, going all in on being someone/something else for one night. That’s what I focused on.
Yes, my family kept themselves between me and the gore, like Secret Service. But dare I say it, I enjoyed the night.
I don’t think I’ll be dressing up next year. But I can be out there, enjoying everyone else enjoying it. A small victory.
TODAY’S PICKS
THE FEATURE
I Bombed My Big Comeback.
No sleep, a yawning CEO in the front row, and a speech she read straight off her slides. Then the reviews came in.
THE REFLECTION
Keeping Score.
Her grandmother kept score at every game for decades. After she died, the family found the scorecards. Something was missing.
The Extra Hour.
The clocks fell back this weekend. I got a whole free hour and used it to stretch, because I showed up to padel an hour early!
THE WILDCARD
What’s Your Family’s Collective Noun?
Crows get a murder. Owls get a parliament. The family group text clearly needs one too.
