"I'll Be There For You"

We mean well, don't we?

We see one another struggle, and our hearts hurt.  We see friends make what might be mistakes with substantial consequences, and we wince.  This is at the heart of empathy - hurting for another's pain.  In moments of crisis or confusion, we might get that phone call or text:

Are you available?  I need you.

Masking

I dread Halloween.

Please don't get me wrong, I LOVE the kids.  I love their seeing imaginations at work in their costumes.  Or their mothers' imaginations... no matter.  Little ones dressed as elephants or gumball machines are impossibly cute either way.  Their high-pitched "trick-or-treats," their pillowcase candy sacks.  I love it all.

It's the adult version of Halloween that I dread.