I'm Just Sayin'

I have never done the whole walk around the neighborhood and go trick-or-treating thing. I grew up in a very rural area, so we would pile in the car and hit about 6 houses in an hour. We were slowed down considerably by the fact that most people would invite us in for hot cocoa and fresh-baked cookies. All things that would get you arrested today.

Anyway, my friend invited me to go trick-or-treating with her family. I wasn’t an actual participant, but it was fun walking through the neighborhood, watching ghosts and princesses and ninjas running around. And it reminded me of my childhood Halloweens. So I told my friend Halloween stories. I averaged a story every few blocks. I will share my favorite one with you

I was sick a lot as a child. I would usually be at my sickest when the seasons would change. A simple cold would quickly become pneumonia or bronchitis. And that’s exactly what happened on my fifth Halloween. I was too sick to go trick-or-treating. All day long I had laid on the couch, whining and pleading to go beg for candy. But to no avail.

Now, my mom is great. But for some bizarre reason, she thought it would be a good idea for me to pass out candy to the trick-or-treaters who came to our house that evening. That it would be a fun way for me to participate in the events of the evening. That I would have fun giving away candy to kids getting to do the very thing I desperately wanted to do. It’s like she didn’t even know me.

So the first kid came. My mom handed me the candy bowl and propelled me to the door. I don’t remember all of the details of the next few moments. There was anger. There was fear. There may have been flying Snickers bars. And that, my friends, was the only candy I handed out that evening.

Huh. I guess I haven’t really changed that much.