Finding Direction in Detours

It’s finally October, which means I now officially allow all of you to start posting about Halloween and your beloved pumpkin spice everythings. I know some of you start in August, but I’m a firm believer in seasonal boundaries. People, you´ve got to learn to enjoy the present! Stop living in the future! It’s not Back-to-School-Halloween-Thanksgiving-Christmas all mashed into one chaotic retail holiday blur. Breathe. Sip your cider. Light your cinnamon candle. Now it’s spooky time.

So, a few Halloweens ago, I decided to prank my husband. Our kids were still little, which meant our garage was basically a toy graveyard – bikes, bins, Nerf darts, and mystery items that probably belonged to someone else’s child. Because of that, we couldn’t park inside. My husband would back his car up to the garage, and I’d park right next to him in the driveway.

One night, I decided to be funny. Yes, I do find time to be funny because what is life without a little mischief? Instead of parking beside him, I parked in front of his car, so our vehicles were facing each other. Then I grabbed one of our yard skeletons and sat it in my driver’s seat. My plan? When he started his car the next morning, the headlights would flash onto my car and BAM, skeleton surprise! Cue evil witch laugh.

Except… I have a Dory memory. I forgot about it five minutes after setting it up.

The next morning, my husband left for work like nothing happened. No scream. No startled jump. No text saying, “Nice try.” Just silence. Meanwhile, I was running late, juggling my laptop bag (which, by the way, needs more pockets), my lunch bag, water bottle, coffee, phone, and keys. I unlocked my car, opened the door, and guess who got the crap scared out of her?

Yep. Me.

Coffee everywhere. Loud scream. Skeleton still sitting there like, “Gotcha.” I had to laugh. Who pranks themselves? This girl.

So let this be a lesson: if you’re going to prank someone, maybe leave yourself a sticky note. Or better yet, don’t use props that look like they crawled out of a Tim Burton movie. But hey, at least I know my reflexes still work.

Happy October, friends. May your pranks land better than mine, and may your pumpkin spice stay in your cup.