The bewitching holiday of Halloween is almost upon us.Fall is in full bloom in my subdivision as Indian corn, corn stalks, pumpkins and scarecrows pop up daily on doorsteps.
I've started to stockpile candy and stash it away in the cupboards to ensure we don't devour it before the trick-or-treaters arrive.
As my son tediously prepares for the fateful night, I find myself recalling my Halloween costumes.
Remember how you felt when you donned a towel around your neck and flew from room to room as the greatest superhero? You felt like you could save the world.
Or recall when you wore a sparkling tiara, fancy dress and carried a wand as the most beautiful fairy princess? You felt you could make wishes come true.
What is it about a child's imagination that can transform a few scraps of cloth into the makings of one's wildest dreams?
Wouldn't it be great for each of us to recapture a bit of that creative spirit within ourselves? To connect again with that athlete, ballerina or superhero we once found so alluring? To allow our spirits to pretend to be all we dreamed we could be -- and more?
That's what Halloween should be about, and not just a day for our children to go door-to-door collecting candy.
It should be about remembering all the wonderful fantasies we had as children and the joy we experienced while parading down the sidewalk with our friends, our parents following with flashing cameras.
Now, let me set the record straight and say I'm not suggesting each of us head off to work adorned in the character costume of our choice.
Although funny, it would be just a little too weird to purchase my deli meat from Elvira or have the oil changed in my car by Batman.
What I am suggesting is that we recapture that feeling of power, enthusiasm and excitement we felt when we glimpsed ourselves in the hall mirror while dancing around in our Halloween costumes.
Let's use Halloween as an excuse for revisiting the dreams we had of conquering the bad and living happily ever after.
There's a writing that's been circulating the Internet by an anonymous author that seems to fit exactly.
"I am Officially Resigning as an Adult" says it all:
"I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult.
I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of an 8-year-old again.
"I want to go to McDonald's and think that it's a four-star restaurant.
I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make ripples with rocks. I want to think M&Ms are better than money because you can eat them.
I want to lie under a big oak tree and run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summer's day.
"I want to think the world is fair.
That everyone is honest and good.
I want to believe that anything is possible.
I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again.
"I want to live simple again.
I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness and loss of loved ones.
"I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, mankind and making angels in the snow.
"So, here's my checkbook and my car keys, my credit card bills, and my 401K statements.
I am officially resigning from adulthood.
And if you want to discuss this further, you'll have to catch me first, 'cause, `Tag! You're it!'"
Happy Halloween.
• Belinda Adams has lived in Carpentersville for 25 years.
She can be reached by e-mail at ra160(at)aol.com or by writing to The Sun, 500 Coventry Lane, Suite 250, Crystal Lake, IL 60014.
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