As a kid, teen, and young adult, Halloween was my absolute favorite holiday!! I loved all of the decorating we did at the house when I was little. It wasn't elaborate, gaudy, or really gory, but it was fun, crafty, and homey. We would put Kleenexes over of Tootsie Pops, tie yarn bows at the sticks, put ghost faces on them and hand them out to the trick-or-treaters. As an older kid and teenager, I lived for haunted houses, hay rides, corn mazes, and creating my own costumes. We would set up haunted houses in our basement and then, after we moved to the farm when I was 12, we started hosting them in the old barn. Peeled and oiled grapes to feel like eyeballs. Cooked and oiled spaghetti to feel like intestines. Chilled and oiled a whole head of cauliflower to feel like a brain. Using old stuff we found in the tack room of the barn, we made torture chambers. We'd have a costume ball in the barn loft, and then we'd have a huge bonfire in the old corral. When I was in college, I didn't give a crap about anything but the parties (sad but true story). The rest of my Halloweens have been hit and miss, courtesy of RSD. Tonight my damn disease will celebrate it's 21st Halloween. This morning I began reflecting on how I've had to change to my life so that I can still enjoy my, now 2nd, fave holiday. (A very close 2nd behind Independence Day.)
Haunted Houses, Hay Rides, Corn Mazes ... yeah, those are all out. Gone. In the history books. Since I can't control the actions of other people, having someone touch me unexpectedly (be it a ghoul or a friend) is just bad news for all involved. It causes me a sudden spike in pain and I physically lash out as a reaction. I have broken people's noses, bruised their ribs, given a few black eyes, and, I have also not gotten called back for a couple of 2nd dates. The last time I went on a hay ride I was 25 and only my right hand, arm, and shoulder were affected by RSD. It took me 3 nerve blocks (without Ketamine) and a whole month to recover from all of the jostling. Now that I have the monster in my whole body, I don't even want to try to think about the recovery efforts that would be needed if I tried it again. As for Corn Mazes, it's a combination of the previous two activities. Don't touch me, don't jostle me ... without my permission, that is.
I have always had creative costumes though. Only once did I actually buy an entire costume (It was a ridiculously warm Halloween and I opted to be Nefertiti since I didn't have to cover up body parts to combat the Colorado cold.) My Mom, being the resident "expert" seamstress and former Kindergarten teacher, has proved herself to be a huge asset for me in the "cute costume" category, the rest were all my own creations. All in all (that I can remember, anyway), I've been a pumpkin, a gypsy, a black cat, the Ace of Spades, Reeces Peanut Butter Cups, Marcel Marceau, static cling, a bag of chips, a dead Nebraska football player (complete with buffalo hoof prints on the chest), Tippy Hedron from The Birds, a bull rider, Joan Jett, an albino Nubian princess (I never said that my costumes were all PC), a zombie devil, Morticia Addams, a zombie mermaid, a sexy librarian, Little Red Riding in the 'Hood, a fallen angel, and last year I was Coach Sue Sylvester from Glee. Yes, I am one of those that hands out candy to trick-or-treaters wearing a costume. (and I always give bonus candy to the kids who make their own costumes!!) This year, due to all of the recent hand-me-downs that I've received from her, I'm dressing up as my sister, the Bombshell!! (shhhh ... don't tell her!! She doesn't know yet!! But I'm gonna hafta pad my flat butt and boobs a bit ... heh heh)
Last night I carved 3 pumpkins. 2 for me and 1 for my folks' house. This is one thing that, regardless of pain levels, I absolutely have to do ... for my soul!! If, for whatever reason, I am unable to hold a knife or my mechanical carving tool, all I have to do is call my Dad or my brother, Houdini, and one of them always comes to my rescue. But last night I did it all by my little own self. There's The Screamer, Frankenpumpkin, and Mater the Friendly Ghost. I have a sign in my front yard that says "The wicked witch lives here" and I have purple-ish/black lights strung up in my front window. I found a neat idea on Pinterest to cut eye shapes out of used up toilet paper rolls and put glow sticks in them so I can hide them under my front bushes to make it look like creepy creatures.
See?? I can still have fun on Halloween!! Granted it's not the kind of fun that I used to have, but I have accepted that it's "different kind of fun"!! I have faith that I will enjoy Halloween 2012 (Kiva, not so much). I have faith that I will continue to find ways to have fun without causing myself undue pain. I have faith that when I awake in the morning I will ready and raring to go for International RSD Awareness Month!! So please, don't put away your orange stuff after tonight!! Keep the Orange alive for the whole of November!! Monday November 5th is International RSD Awareness Day, so make sure you're wearing orange!! And ... if you wouldn't mind, wear an orange awareness ribbon with your favorite/familial RSDer's name on it. (easy peasy to make, just go to your local fabric store for a small length of orange ribbon, a pin, and grab a Sharpee!!) HAPPY HALLOWEEN, Y'ALL!!!
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