The time has come, once again. As the song goes in The Nightmare Before Christmas, "This is Halloween." The time where kids and teenagers dress up as their favorite ghoul or zombie, and go door to door, with their pumpkin head buckets, receiving all the candy you can imagine. Looking back at my childhood, I was always thrilled to put on my costume and see my bucket fill up with Hershey's and Snickers bars. Who wouldn't be?

For one night out of the entire year, I was able to portray some of my favorite characters/heroes I grew up watching. Harry Potter, The Hulk, and NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon were just some of the outfits I had as a kid. Wearing a pair of glasses or a pair of Hulk Hands gave me a sense of power and excitement. I could step out of the box that's called "life" and enter into a fantasy land. I felt as if I really was the person I portrayed, and I loved every second of it. Everybody else that went trick-or-treating seemed to do the same, as well. Whether they were a princess, Jason Voorhees, or even SpongeBob SquarePants, they had also stepped out of reality and into a magical place where anything can happen.

As I grew up into adulthood, I became less interested in partaking in cosplay during Halloween night. I suppose it was because I became busy with school life, and I didn't have any time to participate in those activities I grew up doing. However, what I realized about a year or so ago is that I'd be spending too much time on my studies that I'd be missing opportunities to get back into that Halloween spirit. I need to save some time to enjoy the present, and get reacquainted with my inner child. Now, every Halloween, I proudly dress up as Elvis Presley, to show everyone I still can have fun.

The message is this: don't become too busy, too early. Time will pass by, and you'll be wondering where it all went. As one Halloween passes, the next one will be on its way, soon. Get out in public, dress up, pass out candy, or even get your bucket out and go trick or treating, The most important part of it all: have fun doing it. We all will get older, but that doesn't mean the kid inside of you will go away. Not to mention, who would pass up an opportunity to get a free boatload of candy bars and suckers?