Monday Morning Musings

When I was taking a walk this morning, I started thinking about songs that celebrate Mondays. The tune, "Monday Monday" by The Mamas and The Papas started playing in my head and I couldn't shake it. So I came into my office and found it on YouTube.



Then I looked for some recordings of "Monday Morning Live" by Fleetwood Mac, and found this one that has some great images.



Both of the songs have great lyrics and terrific beats that make you want to get up and dance.

Looking ahead to Thursday and Halloween, I thought I would share a bit from an article in yesterday's Parade Magazine: An Ode to Sugar by Steve Almond. Steve loves Halloween and shares that love, "I came by my love of Halloween honestly. It’s the only holiday I really remember from childhood, and I remember everything about it: my trick-or-treating route, the aroma that arose from the pillowcase I filled with goodies, how glorious it felt to unload my take and categorize it using a strict hierarchy (bars first, then lollipops, then fruit chews, etc.) before swapping treats with my brothers."

When I read that, it took me back to my childhood, when Halloween was one of my favorite holidays. I remember walking those dark streets looking for houses that had porch lights lit to let us know people were there, ready to hand out treats. Today there is a commercial for a cell phone that has kids and families texting information about the best houses to go to, or warning about which houses not to go to "the dentist who is giving out floss."

We didn't have cell phones when I was a kid, but we had ways of spreading the word by meeting up on street corners to share about where we hit a mother lode. We also spread the word about which houses had the best ghosts and goblins and scary things along the front walk. It was a badge of honor to make it past some of those things to the front door, and not everyone earned that badge.

What are your Halloween memories? Does the holiday mean as much today? Do you know the origins of the Halloween traditions?