Halloween Every Day!

http://midsummerscream.org/

        You know....life is just beautiful. At least, I feel that way when I see all of these festivals popping up that make me so happy I could cry (which happens a lot these days with the hormones being absolutely out of whack.  I cried over an Animaniacs episode. ).  It's like people are finally thinking, "Hey, everyone who is awesome loves Halloween, but it's a bummer that it's only one day a year. What if we made it MORE days a year???!!!" Yes, puh-lease. 

         I think I know what it is. I have seen this at Comic Cons very vividly, and I am honored when I experience it. It's human CONNECTION! Something about donning a costume releases a lot of the pressure we feel from every day life and interactions, especially when thousands of other people are in costume. When I am at conventions, I see adults playing.    They are taking pictures with each other, high-fiving, laughing, and loving. It's a beautiful thing, because I think so many of us think that we have to grow up, be responsible and never have fun again and only think about depressing chores and errands. Ugh. I am gleeful when I think about the opportunity to get all dressed up, NOT feel judged, and go and have fun and love things with other like-minded people. Sign. Me. Up. 

http://halloweeninsummerfestival.com/

              I feel it my duty to inform you of awesome events that are going on, and even though I'll only have a booth at the Utah event this year, I am planning on signing up for the others next year, because if it's going to be a gathering of people who like macabre things, skeletons, candy, and dressing up, then I know that I have found my people.

             So, back to the "playing" thing, I strongly feel that adults should recapture the joy of our imaginations and dreams. After all, when we want something in life, it's not the actual THING that we want, it's the FEELING that it gives us.  A Damsel in this Dress corset  is logically just some really nice cloth, boning, and grommets, but when you put it on, the feelings you get are extremely potent. Trust me, I know. I still, to this day, truly treasure my own corsets. People might think that I take them for granted, because I sew them all day every day, and I can always just make another, so they might not be special for me, but that is nowhere near the truth. The fact is, I have memories I created whilst wearing each one. I have sweet experiences, confidence, joy, pain, success, failure, and about a million other things woven right into each piece that I wear. When I pull them out and touch them, I'm reminded of all of this, and I love my life. Once again, not about the corset itself, but the feelings that nearly burst out of it when I wear it. When I think about my possessions, the ones that I cherish the most are actually my costume pieces!

       Imagining yourself as someone else....maybe even just the best version of yourself with the things that you want, the relationships you desire, and the life you dream......you can almost take a "shortcut" and sit and marinade in those sweet feelings as they wash over you. You don't have to sit there and "face reality" like an adult and see all of the things you don't have and the qualities you are not. You can just feeeeeel the feelings that you want to feel, and I promise, all of the things you desire will be much closer when you start playing around in your imagination. I have used this method with much success, just sitting and feeling the joy of things that I want to happen, before they even occur. It takes the stress and pressure off, and I am free to just enjoy life, which is what we all really want anyway, right?

        So, Halloween. Yes. Imagine. Play, Dream. Eat Candy. Feel the sweetness of life.