Town Fool

I love Halloween, it's one of my favourite times of the year although it seems to be far too commercial in the city of Nanaimo where I live. It seems to be more about selling it, than it actually happening. Value Village was selling Halloween costumes since the end of August which works for me as I tend to think every day is like Halloween. People always wearing different masks as they go through life, who they see themselves as or who they want other people to see them as.

I like the freedom there is on Halloween and I can dress up as who ever I want to be and carry on with whatever day to day duties I have as a writer and poet. This year I decided to dress up as a pirate wearing black jacket, black pants and shirt; had the brown pirates hat with orange tassel with the fake black pirates mustache and beard. I walked to a bus stop as school kids were being let out with some of them dressed in costumes,,people would drive by and smile as they looked at me.

I got on the bus, the driver asked me how I was doing and I got off at the mall downtown with some shopping to do. I had to go into London Drugs to buy some toilet paper and more cough medicine..I was the only one dressed for Halloween in the store and in the mall from what I could see. I walked from there to the Library , I saw one woman dressed as a cat woman and I guess I was trying to look like one of the popular former mayors of Nanaimo, Frank Ney.

I was truly surprised how many people in this city were not in the spirit of Halloween on a Friday at that.
Surprised at how few people choose freedom in life and would rather go through life looking the same way every day doing the same old routine they always do. There are some towns like Powell River where half the town gets dressed up for Halloween especially when it falls on a Friday or Saturday. People who are going to work and have jobs on this day and it sure helps to break up the routine. So shame on Nanaimo, no-one wants to look like a fool, but they do have a town fool.