not-so-scary thoughts

Here's a little reflection for you to ponder while floating in the remains of gut-rot and non-removable black lipstick this weekend:

As children, we're often terrified of things outside the realm of the ordinary. Images created specifically to challenge the depths of what we're willing to believe.

Monsters, witches, ghosts.

But as you grow older, your biggest fears, surprisingly, are rooted in reality. Memories of real mistakes you've made. The are scary largely because they didn't result from some uncontrollable dream or supernatural force.

No, it was all you.

Breakup Girl has this poignant comic about a girl who is haunted on Halloween by the ghost of relationships past. He interrupts her date with a new beau, reminding her of the good times she and her ex shared together.

She panics, afraid she'll never escape the haunting, until she realizes there's a difference between "longing" and "remembering."

We all face nightmares that remind us of real-life ghosts. They are scary, they are unavoidable and, often, they are heartache-inducing.

But fortunately, they are still only dreams.