M loween,


Living the Upbeat Life! 26 • October 2018 • UPBEAT TIMES, INC.


y word this month can be quickly un- derstood by hold- ing this newspaper


page up to a mirror: Voila! Neewollah is Halloween in reverse. Most Americans love Hal- spend-


ing billions each year celebrating. Candy, treats, masks and cos- tumes, party favors, decora- tions, apples and pumpkins, toys, and


intoxicat- ing beverages.


Manufacturers and retailers of Halloween fare will com- pete for yearly mega bucks.


Will you be participating in this year’s “seasonal occa- sion”? Trick-or-treating? Partying? Handing out treats to


neighbor kids at your


door, or turning off the lights and hiding? (LOL) I can still get interested in creating a cos- tume,


assum-


ing a different identity for the fun of it. I en- joy entertaining folks who see me in costume, and being enter- tained in return during my se-


nior community visits. I al- ter my voice, body posture, and let my imagination run


The Holidays are coming! (and so are your friends & family)


Order now and add a little comfort to your joy this holiday season.


Ask For Your Upbeat Times 50% OFF


Fabric Protection Plan Discount through October!


The Upbeat Times Entertains, Educates & Inspires! NEEWOLLAH


wilder than usual We’re giv- en permission to give alter egos a heyday. Turn things around: yppah neewollah. But our modern Hallow- een traditions have evolved through centuries of chang- es, face-lifts and surgeries since its Druid “Samhain Festival” origins. For the Celts of ancient England,


Ireland,


Scotland and north- ern France, Novem- ber 1st marked the end of harvesting and return of herds from the pastures. It was the start of the New Year and preparing for hard winter. Su- perstition had it that the veil between the worlds was thin; on October 31st spirits of dead ancestors roamed about seeking eternal rest –or re- venge! Lanterns made of potatoes or turnips carved into frightful faces were lit to scare evil ones away. A mask might fool them, too. Other spirits were welcomed, those believed to foretell marriag-


by Marcia Singer of Santa Rosa, CA. ~ www.lovearts.info ~ lovearts@att.net and


es, and windfall fortunes. Over the centuries, a


Pope, the Roman Goddess Pomona, Reformationists, New England settlers, Irish immigrants and the “mis- chief nights” of “The Little People” took turns infl uenc- ing this holiday. So did Ap-


grown-ups. Parades


are popular. Most are inno- cent fun, though we know in some metropolises, they’ve raged out of control, calling out police patrols. For most of us, October


offers a chance for some fun. Will you invent a compel- ling character, create an awesome costume –pretend to be some- body else? Or try on for size being stron- ger, more clever, fun- ny, famous, uppity or magical? Highlight a talent, a silly side, or change your appear- ance?


You might


palachian Scots and German settlers, Southern voodoo practitioners


--and British


Victorian styles. Halloween has been pliable. Puritans let it alone. Early immigrants let off steam with it. Victo- rian


society romanticized


it. War times took atten- tion off it. Today’s holiday is party-time for both kids


pick a trait you’d like to try on for size, be- hind the mask or face make-up. I taught an


assertiveness training many years ago to ‘shy’ people. I invented a game called, “Be Somebody Else.” First each student picked a prop from a suitcase: a hat, string of fake pearls, Frisbee. The rest of us then interviewed, asking questions to fi nd out who this new person in front of us, was now. A mind-blow- ing range of not-at-all-shy characters popped out --with the help of a costume prop! I’ve loved many Hallow- een roles: a ‘fairly godmoth- er,’ a fl oozy in a cheap rabbit fur coat, a pirate’s ‘wench with a wrench’ (hardy har har), and gift-wrapping my- self in a huge box. Wearing twenty- gallon trash bags with trashy items glued on, won me a prize at my former trailer park community. In a word, who or what


Santa Rosa • 2875 Santa Rosa Ave. • 525-0569 www.lazboy.com/santarosa


26 • October 2018 • UPBEAT TIMES, INC.


will you become for NEE- WOLLAH?


Shining deLight, Marcia. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old. ~ Franz Kafka


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