Fewer Tricks // More Treats

This week is shaping up to be a light one post-wise. I'd been planning to share some happenings around the ol' house and some other things this week. But frankly, I've felt pretty conflicted about posting things that seem well, a little trivial in light of what is happening back East. I have no judgement on anybody else (because hey, I'm probably hitting up your blog for a little peace and distraction right now). But personally speaking, I'm having a difficult time with it. I've been pretty much glued to the nightly news, not as a voyeur seeking tragedy, but because I'm hoping to somehow see that it's all not going to be as bad as it seems right now. What I'm actually seeing is just too much to take in.

While I've always taken such things to heart, I really look at events like this so differently now. Maybe it's part of growing older and realizing the frailty of life, understanding that everything you own and know to be true can be taken away just like that. Maybe I look at things through a homeowner's eyes, understanding the emotional investment and attachment that comes with building a life, room by room. In the end, it's just stuff. But there are irreplaceable intangibles there that would be extremely tough to lose.

It's all made me long for a little innocence, like the days when I once ran wild through the streets, showing off the costume I planned for weeks, my bag overflowing with a bounty of treats I could not wait to dump onto the living room floor once back home.

There's a sweet sort of ignorance in being a kid, isn't there? There was so much I could not possibly have even fathomed back then. But even when real problems hit, there was still resilience in innocence and if I envy one thing about childhood, that just might be it.

In those days, there were definitely fewer tricks, more treats.

Tonight I'll hand out candy from the front door. We'll dim the lights, light the path along the walkway and play spooky music like we always do. But this evening, I'll also remember what a special time it is to be a kid and feel a little happier for them as they enjoy the sweetness of Halloween night.