Halloween was never a big deal in my family, and I can only come up with one good reason for my adult interest in this holiday. As a child, the words "Let's pretend..." were the basis for almost every good time I can remember. Pretend games are a miraculous solution to a boring day. Walking around the perimeter of the backyard fence, decked out in my mom's longest dress, might not seem like that much fun. But if I am Laura Ingalls and the fenceline is the long and dusty road to the new homestead in Missouri...well, that's another story all together.
Somehow, I was in the other room when the memo circulated that there is an age where you are supposed to outgrow this imaginary play. Halloween is the one day of the year that I can publicly indulge the child within who still likes to play pretend.
Yes, publicly. I am sorry if pretending still makes me happy sometimes. Singing in the shower? Mildly fun. Singing in the final round of American Idol? Major rush. So when I have imaginary power over the situation, the choice is obvious. Talking to myself in the car on a long commute? Kind of embarassing. Answering interview questions from Barbara Walters about my stimulating career? Good for the ego. Again, it's not even a question. Get the idea?
I've wondered occasionally if a few hours of therapy wouldn't do me some good. BUT, it's cheaper (and more fun) to go ahead and indulge the sickness. This year, I think I'll be Elizabeth Bennett.
17 comments:
Ohhhh, Elizabeth Bennet, great idea! Think you can get anyone to agree to be Mr. Darcy???
My personal psycologist (Cliff) says that everyone needs therapy. But I think your interviewing/singing probably counts as therapy and is more affordable on a teacher's salary.
I've always kind of wanted to go to a therapist just once, just to see what they would say.
Argh! I was going to post about Halloween... that was the best idea out of my many fledgling ideas to break my blog drought! You stole it!
I think John has a meeting the night of our LG party, so I can't decide if that takes away half my fun (of forcing him to dress up) or allows me to go all out with my own costume, uninhibited by the hubby.
Since I'm a only child, I played make believe ALL the time as a kid. And I had tons of imaginary friends... and it seems I've turned out OK, mentally, um, I think...
This is Hugo, one of Karen's "friends," and I'm telling you... she's crazy!
so you are at least lucky...mom wont let me do anything at all for halloween...its not even fair...i still am a kid too...i was kind of depressed
That was my favorite dress-up dress of all time. It is so practical to have a dress that can double as a picnic blanket for an entire classroom of pretend students.
I used to pretend teacher, too. My stuffed animals were my students. I also took great pleasure in putting them in time out when they misbehaved.
My brother and I played pretend all the time when we were little. It was a ton of fun. I packed an apple in a scarf tied around a walking stick, and we trekked across the house and set up camp under the dining room table. Our watches were our walkie talkies. Of course, I'm sure John will deny the whole thing. If you heard our stories of childhood, you'd think we were in completely different families.
I guess I still like to play pretend, too. I hadn't really thought about it, but I imagine lots of things, and that's pretty much pretending! And I still like to play dressup!
Yup, you're right. John denies it.
Every poignant memory of my childhood has been denied by my brother. Did my childhood even exist? Where did these memories come from? Did I make them up? Did someone plant them in my brain? Or are they real, and John blocked them out? Does he not want to remember our childhood together? Why does John not love me??!!
Sheesh, talk about needing therapy....
I think he has a bad memory. (He loves you.) I'll ask him if he remembers stuff from when we were dating, and he'll say no. But when I told him he had a bad memory, he demanded examples... which I couldn't think of, and he denied it all.
That's not a very good Napoleon or Deb. Your hair doesn't look like its in weird pig tails. Steve doesn't have a red afro...or a vote for Pedro shirt. Nor can he dance. And where are your bracelets that you are supposed to be selling? Or your camera to take glamor shots..."maybe in something billowy!"
OK, in Lindsey's defense... she was wearing a side ponytail like Deb.
I also had the plastic lanyard keychains on the fanny pack. They were ones that Stephen made in boy scouts. You just can't see the details because the picture is dark.
Yes, and they could've had an awesome costume if Stephen didn't suppress her creativity!
Hey, Linds, I've been "invited" to switch to beta blogger, but I don't know if I want to since you had issues with it (seems those issues are resolved now). Should I switch?
I can't really tell a difference. You might as well switch because they're slowly converting everyone to it.
I can't believe you got 17 responses off of "make believe"!! Awesome!
I laughed at Lyd's rendition of her non-existent childhood! For the record, they DID play together from infancy through elementary school. Junior high parted the waters between them, though, and it was a hard blow for Lydia. :)
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