Good morning.
It's Saturday, October thirty-first.
Happy Halloween.
Tonight will probably be busy.
Doorbells.
Candy wrappers everywhere.
Maybe you're still finishing a costume.
Hot glue gun on the kitchen table.
Or maybe you're staying in.
Porch light off, a movie on.
That counts as celebrating Either too.
way...
this part of the day is quiet.
Get cozy.
Pull on your favorite sweatshirt.
Wrap your hands around something warm.
We have six minutes.
Before the fun begins.
Picture stepping out onto the porch.
The air has that fall bite to it.
Breathe in through your nose...
cool and crisp.
Like the first cold morning of the year.
And breathe out slowly...
warm.
Maybe you can see it, a little puff.
In again...
cold air, smelling like leaves.
And out...
warm and slow.
One more.
In...
And out.
Crisp air in.
Cozy breath out.
Let it keep going on its own.
Look down at the porch steps.
There's a pumpkin sitting there.
A jack-o'-lantern.
Maybe a little lopsided.
Carved by someone doing their best.
A crooked smile.
One tooth sticking out at a funny angle.
Maybe the seeds are roasting inside.
You can almost smell the salt.
Someone lit the candle inside.
It flickers.
Orange light spilling out of the face.
Sit down next to it.
The step is cold.
The pumpkin glows warm.
Now picture that glow...
moving into your chest.
A small pumpkin-orange glow.
Right behind your ribs.
It flickers a little when you breathe.
But it stays lit.
Let the warmth spread out.
Into your shoulders.
Down your arms.
Into your belly.
Soft and orange and warm.
Halloween is about the spooky stuff.
Ghosts and creaky doors.
Maybe some real worries came along too.
The kind a mask can't cover.
A bill sitting on the counter.
Or a phone call you're waiting on.
That's okay.
Let them wait out in the yard.
Out past the porch light.
They don't need to come inside today.
Your little light is right here.
It's enough to see by.
A few leaves blow across the steps.
Crunch.
Then still.
Say these quietly to yourself.
I have a warm light inside me.
I can enjoy today,
just as it comes.
Just sit on the steps a You while.
and the The pumpkin.
street is quiet this Costumes morning.
still in closets.
Somewhere a kid is already asking...
is it time yet?
Not yet.
There's time for this first.
A squirrel runs along the fence.
Cheeks full.
Getting ready for winter in its own way.
If your mind drifts...
come back to the little flame.
Still flickering.
Let the porch fade.
Keep the glow.
Stretch your arms up high.
Maybe let out a big yawn.
One cozy breath in...
And out.
Here's a small thing for tonight.
Every time the doorbell rings...
take one slow breath first.
Then open the door.
Look at who's there.
A tiny dinosaur.
A princess in snow boots.
A teenager with no costume at all.
Let yourself enjoy it.
They grow up fast.
Next year, some of them...
will be too cool to knock.
Open your eyes when you're ready.
Have a cozy Halloween.