Feel It All

A couple of years ago Halloween fell on a Saturday. It was also the heat of COVID so we were in the midst of consistent isolation, fear of the unknown, and much hesitation when interacting with others. But that evening turned out to be one of my all time favorite Halloweens. The weather was beautiful, almost every driveway was full of people sitting (6 feet apart) with a fire pit going, and people got creative with how they handed out candy. Some just setting them out on a table at the end of the driveway and others having created pulley systems.

It made me wish Halloween was always on a Saturday. But, I think that any day that Halloween had been on that year would have been special. Because it was one of the first times I remember actually getting out and about and interacting with more people than just family and co-workers in close to 6 months.

6 months of weighted, challenging emotions was met with a beautiful and joyous evening. I’m not saying I’d ever wish for a global pandemic again, but I do use this remembrance of Halloween 2020 as a reminder that there is beauty in the whole spectrum of emotions.

Using the metaphor that emotions are like a wave, if the wave only ever stayed at its highest point, then that point would become the norm. Meaning, if we were only ever happy, eventually I don’t know that we would actually be happy anymore, it would just become our norm.

Emotions are meant to fluctuate and meant to be felt.

I love holidays and I loved this year’s Halloween, too. But when I’m older and thinking back on all the holidays I’ve experienced I wouldn’t be surprised if I continue to be able to recall 2020’s Halloween with much detail.

So next time you are in the midst of a more challenging emotion. Feel it. Feel all of it. And rest in knowing that that emotion will pass, and because you felt it, there will be much beauty in the other emotions awaiting you.