By this point you know I’m a big fan of Halloween—spooky movies, kids in costumes trick or treating, the chilly fall air. Yes, I really enjoy the whole scary vibe! It wasn’t always so easy for me to get into the Halloween spirit, but last year, thanks to my daughter Kaitlyn and yes, Horizon Goodwill, I found myself really inspired. The best thing about Halloween to me is that I always try to come up with unique ways to scare my wife. Honestly, over the years it’s become too easy, but I still get to laugh at her for believing in ghosts. But recently, I found myself starting to waiver in my disbelief.
I swear things in my house have started disappearing. At first, I just thought I had misplaced stuff, but then more and more items started to go missing. I know it sounds crazy, but my socks started to just vanish. And I have a really nice collection of shirts I wear to work…and the number has been dwindling. Of course I asked Missy if she was falling behind on doing the laundry (a mistake I’ll never make again!), but she swore to me everything in our hamper had made it’s way into the washing machine “religiously, three loads a day, which is way too much” and yadda, yadda yadda.
What in the world was going on? Did we have a mischievous ghost in our house?
Yesterday was a big day for me. I had an early meeting scheduled with my good friend Deb from Horizon Goodwill to discuss the best way to inform local businesses about supplementing staff for the holiday season. Horizon Goodwill offers a variety of business outsourcing solutions able to help retailers and manufacturers with the increased workload. I threw my clothes on the bathroom floor, jumped in the shower and started thinking about the best way to convey these customized solutions and how many eager workers have completed the Horizon Goodwill job training program.
What was I going to wear to this meeting? You might remember that I have what some may think is an odd attachment to a specific sports jacket. I’ve written about it before, it’s kind of like my security blanket. For some reason I always get my best ideas when wearing this particular garment. Yes, I’ll strut into Deb’s office with my brown corduroy jacket and dazzle her with my creative concepts!
As I exited the shower I grabbed a towel and began wiping the condensation from the mirror. I mean, you have to see to shave, right? What I saw on the mirror made chills run down my spine. I dropped my razor, silently mouthing the words that appeared in cryptic handwriting on the reflective glass:
I ran out of the bathroom—wearing only my boxer shorts—into the bedroom. “Missy!”, I shrieked, “Get up here!” Panicked, I went to my closet to grab my comfort jacket; it has always soothed me in the past. It wasn’t there! My wife entered wearing a quizzical look as she struggled with an overflowing basket of laundry.
“Missy, there’s a ghost…taking my stuff…and a message on the mirror!”
She sighed and placed the basket on the bed. “Big man! You said there’s no such as thing as ghosts.” Something about the way she spoke was disturbing. I looked at the laundry basket, resting on top was my precious jacket. Missy let out an evil laugh as the brown corduroy sports coat began to slowly rise. Honestly, Dear Reader, I was terrified!
I stared at the back of the jacket, now standing upright inside the basket. Missy laughed again. A shrill voice emanated from the jacket: “Pick up your clothes or they’re going to Horizon Goodwill!” Missy couldn’t keep a straight face as my little girl Kaitlyn appeared from behind the jacket.
“We got you, Daddy!” Yes, they certainly did!