Surprise!

I’ve been feeling rather nostalgic lately, reviewing my past with much more appreciation than regret. It’s autumn, my favorite season. It’s also Halloween time. I love the holiday’s sense of fun and excitement, the idea that anything (or anyone) can literally pop out of nowhere.

My Most Terrified Pop-Out Moment (oh, that sounds wrong!) occurred when I was six-years-old trick-or-treating with a neighborhood pal, Jon (I wish I could find him on Facebook)! I remember I was Snow White that year. I think Jon was a pirate. We decided to visit our neighborhood's premier haunted house, decked out with fake gravestones, cobwebs and scary music.

Sitting motionless on the house's (fake) blood stained front porch was a werewolf of dubious origin. Was he real? I remember Jon going up the stairs first, holding my breath as I crept behind him. Suddenly the werewolf jumped to his full height, seizing Jon. I shrieked and almost fell off the porch. Jon wrenched free and half-ran, half-tumbled down the steps. I have a distinct memory of feeling vaguely proud as I managed to hold up my skirt, lady-like, to keep from tripping while I ran. My father, laughing, shouted at us to stop running. We watched him shake the werewolf's hand. A lot of extra candy was collected that night. ;) As we get older, we experience how life is full of surprises, both challenging and wonderful. We learn what at first seems scary often isn't at all.

Tonight I went on a ghost hunting tour in upstate Connecticut with two close friends from college, Kim and Kristen. As a kid, I devoured R.L. Stine books and anything I could get my hands on involving ghosts, witches and David Duchovny from the X-files. ;) In recent years, the interest waned under the more important focus of job security and mortgage payments. (God, I’m getting old). Nevertheless, I’ve always enjoyed history, psychology and the idea of the supernatural. A ghost hunting adventure potentially involved all three. My inner nerd rejoiced.

The tour itself was as fascinating as I’d expected. I took many decidedly unique pictures, several featuring strange colors and circles (known as “ectoplasm” and “orbs” among ghost hunting folk). The cemetery was bonafide creepy.

But the real surprise had nothing to do with the ghost tour or Halloween itself. It happened post-ghost hunting at a local Olive Garden we decided to hit for dinner. Somewhere between the breadsticks and the appetizer, Kim nonchalantly asked if we wanted to see her belated birthday present. (She recently turned 30).

We nodded.

Kim dramatically dropped an envelope stuffed with pictures on the center of the table. I plucked one up; it was the outside of a townhouse. Why was she showing us a picture of a condo? I couldn’t imagine her being ready to move. After college, she moved back with her family. She hadn’t seemed quite ready to leave, much to the well-meaning consternation of her dear friends. ;)

Then I heard Kim’s voice: “I’m closing on Thursday.”

Kristen and I stared at each other. My eyes filled with tears. I have never felt as fully happy for a friend as I did for Kim at that moment. Kim went on about the details, her voice filled with excitement and purpose. I was practically dancing in the booth and eventually darted out to the lobby to share the news with two mutual friends and even my parents.

I see Kim’s moving into the condo as a symbolic establishment of her growth as a person and independence as a woman. After years of renting, having my own condo has been a great blessing. It seems the more settled I've become in my home, the more settled I've become in my own skin. I look forward to Kim embarking on this similar journey. She deserves so much, and I know she will get there. Because she already is.

Yes, surprises are a good thing. Most of all when we surprise ourselves.