Letter from the editor: October
October 1, 2009 by Aimee Heckel
Filed under Letters from the Editors, Perspective
Halloween is my favorite holiday. For one day, people break out of society’s molds and can be anything they want.
When I was a kid, that was a vampire. The other kids in school made fun of me for not dressing up like a princess or Jem and the Holograms or something sparkly and “girly.” What kind of girl wanted to drench herself in fake blood and white face paint?
Photo by Iman Woods
But I didn’t care. I was intrigued and inspired by vampires for reasons beyond reason. And Halloween was my day — my choice. What kind of girl would want to look like everyone else?
True freedom is free will. The chance to mess up, or rise up, and make your own crazy, fake-blood-splattered pathway through life (and the afterlife, if so be it, Buffy). Choosing to transform yourself, whether permanently or just for moment, is the greatest gift we have — and we can give it to ourselves as many times as we want. The only catch: You have to be brave enough to take it.
This month, as Colorado slowly transforms into winter, I’m thinking about my own transformations. What am I doing today that will make me who I want to be tomorrow?
Sometimes, a choice to transform is physical: trying to go back in time through cosmetic surgery, or starting a new chapter with a tattoo. Sometimes the only choice is how we change: with grace and strength. Other times, it might be as simple as rearranging the kitchen, as a way of appreciating where you already are.
Whatever face your change takes, remember, it’s yours. You have more control in this game than your realize. And take it from 8-year-old Aimee: Don’t be scared to shake up your classroom. It’s way more fun when you’re doing the scaring.
— Aimee
aimee@womensmag.com
