365 Days Around The Sun

Hidden

Little kids disguised themselves the other night and went door to door hoping to get a treat or two. Maybe a Reese’s peanut butter cup, a Hershey bar, or a Twix etc. ‘The Good Stuff!’  If you are lucky maybe FULL-SIZE candy!

Come to my house and you are getting shitty dollar store candy that probably gets thrown in the trash when the kids return home. Or at least their parents won’t eat it when the children go to bed. The candy we buy is very … actually beyond sub-par.

I remember one year the knock on the door, it was maybe nine at night. Way to late in my opinion for five- to ten-year-old’s to be out. But we had a good amount of candy left.  As I opened the door there were three teenagers.  Not dressed in costume and one was smoking.  I emptied out the bucket with all that we had. After their departure I turned off the lights, so it looked like no one was home and prayed I didn’t wake up to toilet paper strung amongst my trees.  After all I gave them more than enough to fill up their pillowcases. Even if the candy sucked.

A disguise, hidden supposedly to not recognize you to get a treat.

Remember back in the 70’s when we wore masks made of hard plastic with a rubber band in the back, two eye holes and no way to breath.  If you were extra special, you had a cape off of your back. Carrying a small plastic pumpkin to collect your goods. It had three triangles two for eyes and one for the nose and some goofy happy smile on the bottom.

When I was a kid one lady in the neighborhood handed out nickels the other apples. DOLLAR STORE candy comes full circle.  Oh, we got chocolate candy as well. Usually not the good stuff and if we did our parents would take it anyway after we went to bed.  THE ‘Honor System’ didn’t apply to mom or dad that night just us kids.  We usually woke up the next morning and saw our ‘stash’ only to include sweet tarts or twisted red/black things that stuck to your teeth.

Looking like someone else.  Don’t we all want that at one point in our life?

A role play to make you feel different on the outside and in.  FYI if you wore that plastic mask and were able to breath you my friend are immune to Covid.  Drank out of a hose when thirsty ditto. And I could go on and on, but you know what I am talking about.

But I think I might.

It was like a VHS or Atari. Video games on the TV was super cool. We look back on those days now fondly…I think most of us do anyway. WE rode bikes till the sun set, yelled “CAR” and no one was fat, because we were active and not attached to a cell phone.  Well of course because they didn’t exist and were just the thought and conception of a brilliant man; even according to documentaries I have watched about him was a complete asshole.

Now our pal James, who chose not to participate in any activities was a little bigger. The most exertion he put on his body was running to the ice cream truck as the quirky music rang.

James was a funny son of a bitch and whoever animated the movie ‘UP’ must have known James because the kid in the movie looks just like him.  I wish you could have met him.  James wore thick glasses, and he had a round tummy at the age of 13,14 and or 15 or somewhere in between.  That is all I can remember. Wonder if he is still breathing or six feet under. My bet is he is chatting with Jesus.

As kids we have no worries but as we get older, we do!  Even at the age of 19.

Don’t hide your inner self, no matter how hard and painful it is.

My daughter whom I presume loves her college, is choosing to leave University life and attend school so she can be closer to mom and dad to earn her degree at a Community College…she just wants to help out the family at home the best way she can, and I am so super proud of her decision.

NOT because it helps mom and dad, but because she is making adult decisions at such an early age.  She gave us a full list of Pros and Cons, the classes that would transfer and the new ones she would partake in to earn her CNA and eventually earn RN status upon completion.  She had it all mapped out. There was no way for us to say NO.

There wasn’t a disguise.  She is head strong and was going to make the decision with or without our approval.  As parents that is the best we can hope for. Raise them to the best of our abilities; and then let them find their wings and fly. Just like the time we allowed her and her friends to canvass the neighborhood without supervision on Halloween. It was a tad nerve-racking but also exhilarating to see her so grown up.

No disguising this kid to get shitty candy or potentially a worthless four-year degree only to have to attend more school to achieve her goal.

My pal James had a plan at the time as well, and that was to look like a bowling ball.  But who cared he was his own unique person and by damnit if he didn’t want to do it, he wasn’t going to.

I believe/know you will kiddo and live as though life is not a disguise.  DO NOT hide behind a mask. Because we all want to see your outer but most importantly your inner beauty on display for all the world to see, especially those you will help treat and recover as an RN. Just don’t ‘trick’ them.  See what I did there “Trick or Treat.”  That was dumb but it made me chuckle. We should all make ourselves chuckle every now and then, it does the sole good.

YES, this is a memoir to my daughter.  ALL the chapters have been. Bored than look away, I wouldn’t be hurt if you did, but I love you for reading anyway. Now go find some sweet treat to eat and make yourself something good to eat and laugh. AND the next time you happen upon the movie ‘UP’ say hey to James won’t you. Just don’t mask yourself because we need to see the REAL you!