Out of all the months in the year, October would have to be my favorite. This may have initially been the case because it is my birth month, but as I’ve grown older it has proven to be my favorite for much greater reasons than simply marking another year of my life. October is the month that we start to have cooler weather, which is always welcomed with wide-open arms from all of us Floridians after the hot summers we always endure. The end of the month is my favorite though, for one simple reason… Halloween.
I don’t know if you can call Halloween a holiday, but it is a day worth celebrating. Personally, I don’t care how the tradition got started, or the darkness it represents. I enjoy this day because it allows me, for one day, to become someone or something that I will never be in real life. For one day I can be anything I want to be. I can be a superstar, a princess, a witch, a pirate, or even a pumpkin.
The funny this is though, we put on costumes, or personas, everyday of the year, not just on October 31st. We do so to hind our demons, or to hind our true selves in fear that we will be judged. One thing I’ve learned though, is that being judged isn’t a negative thing. When people judge us, they notice that we are different from them. They may not initially understand this, or appreciate it. That doesn’t matter though, what matters is how you handle it when they judge you. Stand tall and proud of whom you are, because you are unique and bring something to this world that nobody else can. In that moment that you are being judged for being yourself, you may influence someone, and that person may even be the person that’s judging you. For me, I know I’m different and trust me when I say I embrace that everyday and every moment that I can, why shouldn’t I? Maybe the one moment that I try to fit in, there’s someone watching me that misses the opportunity to grow because I wasn’t being true to myself.
I say we reserve October 31st to be anything or anyone we want to be, and the other 364 days of the year we will just be ourselves, no costumes or personas, just the beautifully unique people that we all are.
Shine on and don’t forget you’re awesome,
Jana Caracciolo
Area III State Vice President
