The Halloween aisles are set up with bags of candy in a variety of types and sizes; creepy looking ghosts and ghoulish masks, with spiders in faux cobwebs; costumes galore for all ages; and arts and crafts supplies for those who like to decorate from scratch.
Then there are the pumpkins: in supermarkets, on front porches with or without carved faces, at farmer's markets and in the pumpkin patches where you can go for a hayride.
Oranges, reds, yellows, and other autumn hues are everywhere you shop.
This is truly my favorite color-time of year.
As I made my way through Michael's, I was compelled to purchase a multi pack of autumn colored butterflies with which to decorate my office. Sometimes I wish I could turn my office space into a retail-looking oasis with all those beautiful colors (but then I would have to hire a stock person to keep the shelves looking fresh since my cat Sophie would probably knock the items onto the floor ;)).
As I was lingering in the produce aisle at Market Street, inhaling the fresh sweet aroma of the fruits and vegetables, I saw a stack of candy apples covered in butterscotch and peanuts. They did look good. Reminded me of biting into one of those as an adolescent, wanting to just eat off the candy and peanuts and forget the apple. But then it wouldn't technically be a nutritious snack.
Most don't associate the month of October with healthy snacks. With all of the candy assortments to choose from, we all know what most kids have on their minds as they plan for their Halloween or Autumn Fest adventure on October 31.
My favorite Halloween candy are the bite-sized Reese's Peanut Butter cups that come individually wrapped in autumn-colored foil, decorative in a candy dish, if they remain there for very long. ;) That chocolate and peanut butter combination always hits the spot.
With Halloween on Saturday this year, I'm curious as to how early the neighborhood children will be out and ready to fill their pumpkin-shaped buckets or pillow cases or plastic bags full of candy, handed out at each brightly lit doorstep.
You can never know what kind of costume each trick-or-treater will wear as their disguise for the evening. My two daughters went out a couple of years ago as Hannah Montana/Meet Miley Cyrus in commemoration of Miley's first CD recorded as herself. Decked out in wigs, fun styles, and makeup, they made quite the pair. And they even sang the theme song to Hannah Montana for one interested candy-giver.
Yes, disguises are popular for Halloween; it's fun to attempt a guess at who the person is supposed to look like. Some costumes are easy to pinpoint, like Spiderman or a Disney Character.
But some are more subtle.
Disguises are used to cover who we truly are. Sometimes we wear the more subtle form without realizing it. But with some digging and searching under that disguise, we can begin to discover what we're about, what makes us tick, what we are here for.
It can be a challenge to learn how to define ourselves, evaluating our authenticity. But once we get to the place where we know who we really are, where we're going, and what our purpose is, then we can move forward in confidence and sincerity, accomplishing what we are meant to, making a positive difference in our world, in your world, in my world.
As the REAL you, as the REAL me.
So, who are you really?
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