Scary Stuff

I've never been big into the gory Halloween decor. As I walk through the streets of my town, I see "festive" hanging bodies, sawed-off limbs, and mock graveyards. It's not that they're super scary, they're just a little morbid for my taste. And there's enough stuff scaring me these days, without the help of fake blood.

I watched my 401(k) lose 40 percent of its value in the span of two weeks. I've seen a presidential campaign I thought would be respectful go to the bottom of the barrel. For the first time in my life, I walked through a snowstorm on my birthday. (I'm very much a summer person, so that might be the most depressing development of all.) Times are a little crazy.

Things feel the most frightening when everything's about to change, and there's no doubt that that's the case at this moment.  Whoever wins the presidential election next week, the fact is, we're going to have a very different set of people in the White House than we've had for the last eight years (and, really, the last 220).  I've had political hopes and fears circulating in my brain for a loooong campaign season, and it's difficult not to feel anxious as it's all coming to a head, just four days from now.

None of us knows what's going to happen with the financial system, but it feels as though we're on the precipice of some kind of new direction after a couple months of chaotic turbulence.  Could be a deep recession, could be a slow rebound.  It's a new road for all of us, that's for sure.

(Speaking of rebounds... I'm even reeling from changes with regard to my beloved New York Knicks, who won a remarkably fun-to-watch game on Wednesday's opening night. I know this is a New Jersey site, so sorry Nets fans, but when I was a kid, Ewing, Oakley, Starks, Mason, and Harper stole my heart.)

Sometimes you're ready for the changes, sometimes you're not.  Sometimes they're cause for celebration, sometimes sadness.  My husband and I recently learned that a close friend was diagnosed, at the age of 35 and as the mother of two young children, with a cancerous brain tumor.  Within an hour, we learned of another friend giving birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl.  I guess those are the kinds of developments that can hit you at any time, no matter the season, but somehow the simultaneous, emotionally charged stories felt fitting with the time of year. It's not just the season of fright, but it's a time defined by changing leaves, changing weather, changing leadership, changing life.

So who needs scary costumes and creepy sound effects?  I have political news, investment statements, and whatever else life throws out there to keep me spooked.  In some ways, those decorations are a welcome distraction.

(An even better one: A Halloween treat from the Boss.)

Tags: Halloween