Halloween’s Hidden Surprises and the Beauty of the Unknown.
Halloween is right around the corner, and all the spooky season festivities are starting to come out. From the cute decorations to the funny TikTok videos, without a doubt, Halloween is making its mark this year. Dare I say, I was a Halloween fanatic when I was younger. I have a love-hate relationship with Pennywise the Dancing Clown, and don’t ask me to explain it because I can’t! Recently, I’ve started to wonder why people, including myself, love Halloween so much. There’s something about the spooky, the mysterious, and the unexpected that draws people in. You know scary movies will practically give you a heart attack, yet you still feel the need to watch them religiously once October hits. It’s almost magnetic, like there’s something irresistible about watching everything unfold, no matter how terrifying or unpredictable it may be.Â
Isn’t it funny how we love the suspense of the unknown during Halloween, but when it comes to our own lives, we can’t stand it? Watching a movie where this character has ice powers is cool and all, but if I went to the store and saw a person shoot ice out their palms, I would be scared as hell! On my screen it’s exciting, but experiencing something so unfamiliar in real life? That’s a completely different story. And although life’s uncertainties aren’t usually dramatic, they can still be very unsettling. I love Halloween because it’s an escape from the real world for one full month, but sometimes not knowing what’s going to happen next makes me feel anxious. For example, not knowing if my career path is going to work out how I want it to. Not knowing if the steps I’m taking in college are guaranteed to work. Or even not knowing if should’ve spoken up or not. Uncertainty comes in many shapes and forms. But who’s to say everything we’re unsure about is something we should fear?Â
Think about it, some of the best things in life are things we never saw coming. People go out in the world and unexpectedly win the lottery. People lose friendships they once cherished, only to find themselves blossoming into bigger, better versions of who they were. People fall in love. What I’m saying is that every day, we could choose to think about all the negative things that have happened or could happen to us. Or we could choose to find the beauty in the things we didn’t expect to happen but still did. Both options will probably make you anxious, but only one leaves room for something else: joy. And you know they say stress ages you. Chile, I’m not trying to be out here looking like my problems! We spend so much time trying to figure out what’s next that we forget to appreciate what’s happening now.Â
We owe it to ourselves to enjoy the seasons that we’re currently in, even if it’s not our favorite one. And I know it’s optimistic and blah blah blah, but what’s the alternative? Feeling sorry for yourself every day? We’re not movie characters, we’re human. We’re allowed to have off days. We’re allowed to be excited, nervous, scared, sad, or even conceited. Life isn’t always meant to go according to plan, and as much as I wish I could somehow take a peek at what my future holds for me, where’s the fun in that! Imagine watching a scary movie where you already know everything that’s going to happen, every jump scare, every plot twist, I’m talking about knowing everything to the T. Boringggg! You would just want to watch another movie, wouldn’t you? And don’t lie to me now. Like I said earlier, sometimes the best moments come from things we didn’t expect to happen. Sometimes what you wanted just doesn’t work out. That’s life! We don’t need to know every single thing that’s going to happen. Maybe for once we should let life surprise us every so often.Â
This Halloween, I’m taking full advantage of the creative, unhinged, and slightly chaotic energy that comes with this season. After all, a little mystery never hurt anyone.Â