Imagine yourself falling asleep this Halloween night and being visited by three Halloween ghosts: the ghost of Halloween past, the ghost of Halloween present, and the ghost of Halloween future.
Sure, this is a familiar setting for a Christmas story but please be willing to suspend your disbelief for just a moment and consider the setting. What would these ghosts reveal to you? What would you want them to reveal?
Obviously, being Halloween, it is a cool and stormy night. You've had a hard day at work and, being Halloween, you've had to deal with the candy temptations all day. Then, when you get home, the doorbell starts to ring. You reach for the big bowl of candy and, with a deep sigh, you dole out handfuls of goodies to all the trick-or-treaters that darken your door.
Finally, with everything calm, you can relax. Next to you on the couch is that big bowl of candy and there is plenty left. Mindlessly, your hand reaches for it and you start to nibble, then eat, then you feel miserable and guilty because of all the little candy wrappers around you. You've made such progress! What now?
Full of self-loathing, you finally doze off...
The ghost of Halloween past
You awake to a strange specter floating above you. It's not terribly horrifying but seeing a ghost hover above you never has a calming effect. Startled, you cringe away but the ghost reaches for your hand and latches on. Off you fly, but you can't tell where.
When the world stops spinning, the surroundings look familiar but you can't place them until you see your childhood house. Walking to the front door is a child...a slightly overweight child that you recognize is you!
Inside, you see the child empty the night's stash on the floor in the living room. Mom and Dad are sitting there smiling and helping you sort through the "good stuff" and the "bad stuff". You then dive head long into the "good stuff" with reckless abandon. Your mom tells you the same thing she does every Halloween - slow down or you'll get a tummy ache. However, you keep going.
When the good stuff is gone, you move on to the bad stuff until you've had your fill. Of course the bad stuff wasn't your favorite, but it was still candy! The scene makes you feel a little ashamed and a little sick.
Your paranormal traveling companion grabs your hand and whisks you back home where you fall straight to sleep back on the couch.
The ghost of Halloween present
It seemed like no time had passed when you awake again. This time a different ghost is towering over you. Just as before, the ghost latches onto your hand and you seem to float beside it completely disoriented and blind to your destination.
When you can finally make out your surroundings, you recognize where you are. You are at work. You see your co-workers all dressed up in their Halloween costumes getting ready for the dessert heavy pot luck you had today. Then you see you.
"Am I really that heavy?" you say but your ghostly companion says nothing. You continue to watch yourself as you move from the cake to the brownies to the Halloween cup cakes.
"Wow, did I really eat that much? I thought I did so good!"
The ghost whisks you back to your house and you are relieved that you're finally going to get back to sleep. However, when you get there you see yourself yet again. You watch yourself as you cut off the porch light and plop down on the couch. Then you see the carnage begin as you consume treat after treat rarely taking a breath.
Finally, completely exhausted and also completely ashamed, you fall back asleep on the couch.
The ghost of Halloween future
"Not again!" you think as you you stare at the third ghostly face of the night. This face was horrible and terrifying but you don't really care at this point. You just want it over with. The third ghost grabs your wrist and off you go.
This destination was the worst one of all. When you finally stop, you're staring at your own tombstone. Obviously, you know you'll eventually die but you realize the year of your death is only five years away. The ghost points at you, then to the tombstone, grabs your wrist once more and you're off.
Once again, you're back at your office and your co-workers are all gathered around...again dressed in their Halloween costumes. Your boss asks everyone to be quiet for a moment while he says a word.
"As you know, this was one of your co-workers favorite holidays of the year and she(he) is sorely missed. I remember when the type 2 diabetes diagnosis was given. Unfortunately, the severity of it was ignored and she(he) passed this time last year. I think we all knew it was coming. High blood pressure, high choloseterol...all of it, ignored."
You turn to the ghost, in tears, and beg to go home to rest. By now, you get the picture, you understand what has to be done. You know what changes have to be made. Now, you've made up your mind.
What you saw won't be your future, will it?
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