A few years back I got a brilliant idea for a Halloween costume. I saw a really cool picture of somebody dressed as Death. So I decided to do the same. My grandmother hand sewed a long black robe with a deep hood. My sister helped me do my makeup, so that my face actually looked like a skull. I even made a scythe; the handle was wood but the blade was just stiff cardboard covered with tin foil (since I was going out in public I wanted to be careful not to accidentally hurt anyone) but it looked pretty real in dim lighting.
So I went out and I was having a great time. I was getting lot’s of candy and scaring the bejezzus out of people. But then something really weird happened. Everyone who was dressed up, actually became the thing they were pretending to be. For example, one guy actually became an army commando, this other girl became a real ghost and I became the living embodiment of Death, The Grim Reaper.
I instinctively knew who was going to die and I went to them and reaped their immortal souls. I also knew exactly how they were about to die and I knew what was going to happen to them after their death. I was not evil I was merely a force of nature maintaining a balance of life.
When the sun rose this strange phenomenon ended and everyone became themselves again. I don’t really remember everything that happened to me that night. I can’t recall what happens to our souls after death. All I know is, that night had a profound effect on me. I now understand that death is completely natural and necessary, but at the same time I realize just how precious and wonderful life is. I never take my existence for granted anymore.
Okay, my roommate just read what I wrote and she said that didn’t really happen to me at all. It was on an episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". But that doesn’t change the lesson I learned from the show. It just proves that you don’t have to leave the house to have a life-altering experience, you just have to really get into a t.v. show. It also proves just how utterly amazing Joss Whedon is.
It is an interesting story. Life is a wonderful thing. Death is a scary thing and when you have a near death experience your perception of life and death changes and you have greater appreciation for how sad the event is for people who have lost someone they loved. Experiencing a near death experience also makes you question a lot of things pertaining to life after death and your soul and heaven and hell.
I love doing make-up during halloween, especially giving those monster make ups. My kids really enjoy it too.