It was a dark and stormy night …

It was a dark and stormy night … well, that would have been ideal.  It was a clear sky night here in Dundas as the trick-or-treaters made their way around the neighbourhood.  As I drove up the driveway coming home from work, there was a man with a frightful face sitting on our front balcony.  That would have been daunting except for the fact that the dog with him was a white, fluffy, “smiley” (if there is such a thing on a dog’s face) dog wagging his tail to greet me.  My husband needed a Rottweiler to complete the scene!

Making my way from the garage to the front foyer, I was impressed by the candle-lit staircase, and pumpkin bowl filled with chocolate bar treats, and the orange gift bag topped with girl guide cookies set out for the local highschool kids collecting for the foodbank.  Except for the dark and stormy night, we were ready for Halloween!

In preparation for Halloween, I’ve read that dog owners should practise a few weeks in advance with ringing the door bell and reiterate the “stay” and “leave-it” commands.  Other dog owners simply shoo their dog to the bedroom or basement on Halloween night.   Because Cabo is not just a dog, we felt he should be included in our Halloween.

We set up chairs discretely in the front foyer, me dressed in black, Ed with his cardigan and ghoulish mask, our own beverages and salty treats beside us, a blanket on the floor and a bone stuffed with a salty treat for Cabo, the curtain drawn back from the glass in the front door, and a light coated-wire garden fence in front of the door (to prevent any hint of a canine bolt beyond the unsuspecting trick-or-treaters).

When the doorbell rang, the first set of kids chimed together an elongated “trick or treat” while Cabo barked twice and coaxed us towards the door.  Ed took his masked 6’2″ frame to the door reaching for the treats and opened the door slowly asking in a gravelly voice “are you looking for a treat?”  The kids hesitantly nodded their heads with confusion as they looked suspiciously at scary ghoul guy with a white, fluffy, pretending-to-be-vicious guard dog beside him.  And so went the evening with 40-something trick-or-treaters.

We each enjoyed the elements of Halloween night together with an interlude of Ed skulking next door to the unwitting neighbours to give them a scare amongst the trick-or-treaters.  Cabo did whine for a bit as he wanted to be part of ALL the fun!  You see?  It’s not just a dog’s life of anxiety or dismissal on Halloween – it’s a family life with fun to be had by all.   Until next year’s haunting …!

"are you looking for a treat ...?"

vicious guard dog greets trick-or-treaters

Trick or treat?

With Halloween nearly upon us, I was thinking …

I wonder how many kids who can afford  a Halloween costume can afford to buy themselves a sugar treat every now and  then? And I was also wondering how many parents who can afford a Halloween costume for their kids can afford to buy their kids a sugar treat every now and then?

Do we really need an evening nowadays where kids go door to door all on the same night asking for candy with a cheeky question of trick or treat? Do we really need to contradict our nowadays efforts to combat cavities and obesity with an outing of collecting as many sugar treats as we can in the allotted time of safe darkness?

This past weekend, I felt good having asked a fellow student if he was having a tough week in his family life as evidenced by his quiet spirit and the subdued tone of his blog lately. A close family member had passed away recently and it was clearly a difficult time for him. I wanted to express support for him with heartfelt words of kindness.

And on my way to my car, I was asked by an elderly gentleman how much the parking cost. I said to him, “why don’t I just give you my ticket as I’ve paid for the day?” He said that would be very generous and he would pay me back (I’ve never met him before). I told him no worries, as long as he paid it forward in some way. He tipped his hat gratefully with a big smile and a fervent nod.

On the way home, the main street was busy with police cars and paramedics in response to what looked like a 911 aid call. The city bus clearly needed to merge into traffic as he was blocked by the ambulance on stand-by for medical attention. It was simple for me to ease back and allow for an uncomplicated merge. I appreciated the wave from the bus driver out his side window.

When I got home, I was pretty cheerful, feeling good about my kind words and deeds. And greeted  so enthusiastically by my dog who knows how to pay it forward – he starts it!

Paying it forward starts here

As these two themes (candy land and pay it forward) merge into one in my mind, I’m thinking trick or treat should be reserved for our canine friends: a reward for “shake a paw” or “stay”. A masquerade evening with a kind deed or a kind word for others on Halloween would appeal to me more and would certainly sweeten the lives of many. And at very little expense. I was thinking …

What about you? Best wishes for all things Halloween including costumes, pumpkins, monsters, vampires, witches, werewolves, ghosts, scary tales, frightful movies, humour, kind deeds, kind words …

At the end of the evening, each person would take some of the bonfire home to relight their hearth fire in hopes of ensuring good fortune to their home and family for the coming year.  Excerpted from The History and Origin of Halloween: Back in the Old Days at www.halloween.com

For more thoughts and ideas:

Pay it Forward www.payitforwardmovement.org

Random Acts of Kindness www.randomactsofkindness.org

Random Acts of Kindness Day:  November 4, 2011 www.guelphcf.ca

Thanksgiving