Hi all. It’s fall. It’s a long weekend (for some people, not us) Indigenous Peoples’ Day. But still, there’s lots of good stuff going on in the world right now – you just have to look for it.
Just this morning, I started the following Google search: “October…” and the all-knowing Google literally filled in the rest “…is national what month…” To complete that thought, it’s ADHD Awareness Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Socktober (yes, there’s a month specifically for Mike Wenzinger), Cybersecurity Awareness Month, LGBTQ+ History Month, and National Book Month. So basically, everything important.
And all of this is happening now, lucky for us, early in the month of Halloween, the best month-long holiday ever. For your well-being (now!), here are some suggestions on how to take full advantage of the wealth of well-being opportunities this affords, even if like me you will be hunkered down trying to submit more than one grant this weekend. Here we go.
1) Go outside. Take a picnic and go on one of Missouri’s famous fall drives while listening to the 30th anniversary Jerry Garcia Band box set (or just tune in to the Spotify Play List). Or if live music is more your speed, Jake’s Leg at Jefferson Barracks is always a fun time.
2) Appreciate St. Louis’s place in horror history. Check out the Lemp Mansion, or even better, do a haunted house. Advice: get in front, go first, scream loud. It may be the only time people will thank you for being a screaming weenie.
3) Watch something scary. ‘Encounters’ is a very manageable 4-part series on Netflix that explores many interesting facets of the alien abduction phenomenon in a way that isn’t too ridiculous. Personally, I find aliens terrifying, mainly because technology. Or check out a campy horror film from the early 2000’s. Shrooms (this trailer is not PG, FYI) is on my list, because mushrooms.
4) Read something gratuitous. ‘The Believer: Alien Encounters, Hard Science and the Passion of John Mack’ by NYT reporter Ralph Blumenthal is as creepy as it is fascinating. And that’s just the part about psychiatry.
5) Take the fam on a field trip. Check out the Best of Missouri Market at the Botanical Gardens, or Grant’s Farm’s Fall Fest. Or heck, go to the pumpkin patch at Eckert’s and make the kids burn off some energy picking apples. Or you can skip the line and just buy some.
So go get out there, take a deep breath, soak up some sun (or music), scare yourself silly, and appreciate some stuff. I’ll expect a full report on Monday.