The paranormal, something everyone has heard of at least once in their life. From the movies, video games, unexplained experience, and more, the word "paranormal" has come up in conversations in relation to anything that is not considered "the normal" for daily life (i.e. spooky scary ghosts, Bigfoot, Jersey Devil, you know, the unusual.) For myself, the ideas of the paranormal weave in and out of my every day life. Recently I've been speaking to to others about why we investigate and do what we do. I think personally the same reasons why I investigate into the paranormal is the same reason why people don't want to:

The fear of the unknown, what can't be seen, and what is in the dark is something almost everyone has.

It's completely rationale to fear what could ever go bump in the night, what we can't see and how it could potentially affect us, at least in regards to entities such as ghosts, spirits, specters, etc. However, there is a certain curiosity that overtakes myself, and fortunately a lot of other investigators who brave the twilight hours to find exactly what that noise, movement or figure was. Ever since my youth I've been enamored with the paranormal, from the television shows, urban legends, superstitions and of course horror movies. I guess it was my own personal way to try and understand what I had personally experienced when I used to live in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

While I'll never know for sure what I saw when I was just a mere eight-year-old Sam, I'll never forget what I consider as my first experience with the paranormal. It was spring time, which I'm at least 75 percent positive of as I remember the gleams of the remaining white snow on the ground. My house was in the back woods, surrounded by nothing but trees, snowmobile trails and a whole lot of nothing. My house wasn't too terribly old, definitely not something that had been around for 100 years but it definitely felt old, something that now as I am older feel like it was something about the land we lived on. One night it was especially dark, but again with the snow gleaming outside my window, well covering my window. My room was in the basement of our house and the window in my room was near the top of the wall and wasn't bigger than a normal textbook. I remember waking up for some reason or another, but definitely having the need to use the restroom, which was right next to my room. I walked out of my room, still slightly groggy, but I remember vividly that I was having one of those sleeps where you don't necessarily feel like you were sleeping, like you were still awake with your eyes closed. Ahead of me was the hallway to the stairs and my family room, but there was something blocking the way to see past the stairs. I didn't think too much of it at first, but then I stopped when I saw this ball of light float down my stairs. It was about the size of a normal balloon. It flited down my stairs and into the wall my stairs faced. Needless to say I was sufficiently freaked out and ran back to my room. I couldn't get back to sleep after that, not only because I still had to use the restroom, but I looked back out my window for the support of the shining snow. Instead I was greeted with two glowing reddish orange colored eyes.

I immediately looked away and stared at my wall for the rest of the night till dawn broke through. Like I said I was scared out my wits, and rightfully so, it is something to this day I can remember, through everything I've experienced. While since then I've had a lot of other weird encounters and unexplainable events happen to me, but this one truly sticks out to me. My mother has so however that I was visited by my at the time recently deceased grandfather in my crib. Regardless, I haven't had much of a choice in getting out of this unusual business.

I guess it really was this experience that has always left me with this curiosity of finding out what I saw that night, what that white balloon looking orb was, and more importantly what was staring into my room that night. It could have certainly been some animal, but I think what scared me most about it is the moment I made eye contact. It was a feeling that I only describe as dread, sadness and misunderstanding. Whatever it was, needing to be seen and needed to be heard. I kinda regret being scared, but at the same time I was only a child. However, how the hell could I explain and understand any of this as an adult? In the end, it is that single factor that keeps me going through all my fears. (Yes, I am still incredibly fearful of the dark.)

Same dude, same.

I guess there is a lot of reasons why I decided to become a paranormal investigator, from my experiences, the wonderful people I've met, the bond I've created and fostered in the two different teams I'm a part of, promoting critical thinking, open mindedness and continuing on a search for the truth. Every experience I've had so far I know that I will never take for granted, as not only has paranormal investigating given myself a new respect for those who have passed, but am even more appreciative outlook on being alive. All I gotta say now is bring it on!