Happy Halloween! It’s Time to Take off the Mask!

Happy Halloween! It’s difficult to believe that the of October is near, and nearly the end of 2023.

Yet miraculously the kids were ready to go trick or treating in spite of cold weather. Costumes didn’t turn out as expected, but at the end of the day, each kid pivoted and improvised within 10 minutes of leaving. It was beautiful to watch. It was inspiring to see how they were resillient and creative. One kid couldn’t fit a mask, so he drew his own on plain white paper, cut out eye holes so he could see, and taped it to his head. He didn’t care what others thought, but he was so happy with how he had created what he wanted to wear. And this was from a five year old!

When the bewitching hour was over, we came home. My five year old asked me to go back to a regular family [meaning without the costumes]. He wanted to take his mask off and just be himself. He’s goofy, an old soul.

I had a fleeting thought. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all take off the external masks?

Take off the mask of being strong.

Take off the mask of being stoic.

Show emotion. Show frustration. Normalize these conversations.

Embrace your quirkiness.

Be yourself.

Halloween is over. Don’t wait for the New Year to change. Do it today, err, tomorrow if you fell asleep in your mask!

Not appearing as your authentic self can add to trauma.

Break the cycle.

Start the healing.