Halloween: a way to face fears

Published 2:31 pm Monday, November 1, 2021

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By MICHELLE LOVE | Staff Writer

A few weeks ago, I went to Warehouse 31 in Pelham to cover its opening weekend. I am the first to admit that I love everything Halloween and all things spooky, however, haunted houses? Not my thing. I am a grown woman who knows there is no such thing as the boogeyman under my bed, and yet I needed two people to hold my hand going through this haunted house.

When I came out the other side, I was so happy I went through. I did something that scared me way more than it should, and I came out the other side okay.

I think this same situation can be applied to everyday life. Halloween is a time to be scared, but also a time to embrace the things that make us scared. We actively seek out haunted houses and horror movies. We feel like the holiday gives us permission to accept the things that scare us.

The past two years have been very scary for everyone, to say the least. We were all scared and unsure of what lurked around the corner, what was going to pop out at us out of the shadows next?

Some of us came out unscathed, others had a more tragic turn, but something I think all of us can learn from Halloween or the past two years is life is too short to just stick with what makes you comfortable.

I changed jobs this year, moving away from what I had known for 11 years because I was very unhappy doing it. I was scared, in fact, I’m still scared. But I made it, and I feel more validated and happy with my job now than I ever thought possible.

Change is never easy, but if anything in life came easy, would it be worth it? Take a chance, do something that scares you. Get that tattoo, go on that trip, tell that person how you feel, leave that bad relationship. Sure, it’s scary, but I promise you’ll make it out the other side.