The Halloween Costume Is Just Me, But Rested

We need to talk about Halloween, because I have found my costume and it is terrifyingly original.

I am going as a well-rested, well-hydrated, unbothered woman in midlife who has no chin hair and remembers why she walked into a room.

People will scream. They will say, "That is not real! That is not possible! That is scarier than any ghost!"

For years, I did the whole thing. The cute costume that was uncomfortable, the itchy wig, the makeup that took an hour and a half and looked good for exactly 20 minutes. The going to a party where you have to yell over music you don't like to talk to people you don't really want to talk to.

This year? No. My costume is boundaries. My costume is a 9 PM bedtime. My costume is saying, "No thank you, I have plans," and my plans are my couch, my blanket, and a show I have already watched three times because I like it.

The scariest thing you can be in midlife is a woman who is actually rested. People don't know what to do with that. They are used to us being tired, wired, and running on caffeine and spite. When you show up calm? Grounded? With 8 hours of sleep? You are basically a witch. And not the cute Halloween kind. The real kind. The kind who knows things.

So if you see me on October 31st, I will be in my softest loungewear, with my skin slathered in something expensive that I finally bought for myself, holding a mug that is not for children, not for work, just for me. No tricks. Just treats. And early retirement from people-pleasing.

If you want to be scary too, try this: Turn your phone on Do Not Disturb. Light a candle. Go to bed at a reasonable hour. Watch how nervous it makes everyone else that you are not available.

That is the magic.

Keep thriving.

Tracy 💗

💭 Reflection: If "rested, hydrated, and unbothered" was your Halloween costume, what would you need to take OFF to actually pull it off this week?