Unmasking the Mask

Every October my husband and I throw a Halloween costume party.  It’s become our annual tradition and I love it.  I love the work that goes into it and the stories that come out of it.  I’ve always liked parties, of any kind.  Dinner parties, birthday parties, surprise parties, graduation parties, Fourth of July parties, etc.  I fully believe life offers us legitimate reasons to throw a party and we ought to take every opportunity to celebrate goodness in our world.  

 

Despite my love for all parties, costume parties are my favorite because they allow me to see a different side of the people in my life.  Donning a costume takes time, interest and creativity.  People go through the trouble of preparing for a costume party because they really want to be at the party and to be a part of it.  To me, that sets things off on the right foot from the moment they arrive.  When your guests want to be there and want to show off their costumes, excitement abounds!

 

In addition, no matter who you are, when you are in costume the playing field levels.  There were doctors and lawyers in attendance at our party, but no one would have been able to pick them out of the crowd.  There were veterinarians, writers, waitresses, CEO’s, homemakers, engineers, salesman, realtors, principals, nurses, teachers and firemen… but no one wore these labels at the party.  Instead, they had become television characters, vampires, cats, witches, cowboys, zombies, pirates, priests, etc.  The opening line wasn’t, “What do you do for a living?”  It was, “Wow!  Where did you get that costume?”

 

Another thing I’ve noticed about costume parties is that people are always smiling.  There’s a silliness attached to dressing up and it causes everyone to relax a little bit more.  When we all look silly, silly then becomes the acceptable norm. 

 

Each year I get the chance to meet new people at this party.  Friends bring their friends, thus I make new friends.  Flowing fountains of poisonous potion help loosen inhibitions and lips move easily in conversation.  I love that.  I love that who people really are just sort of drips from them when they feel the safety of a costume. Conversations become honest.

 

It is often through these types of parties that I learn who my true friends are, and often they are not the ones I thought.  I have learned that sometimes those closest to you actually know you the least, and those whom you thought were mere acquaintances care deeply about you.  It’s as if the costume unmasks the mask and the heart is thusly shown.  ~