Pumpkin Guts

"When can we carve the pumpkins?" That question was asked about 100 times today. Finally around 3pm I hesitantly give in. "Okay, here we go. I'll just cut the hole and..." "Ewww!" Supergirl and J-man both replied. "We aren't going to touch that! That's just gross!" "All right," I replied. "I will scrape out the guts and then we can move on." I shouldn't be surprised. This happens every Halloween. The idea of carving the pumpkins sparks lots of excitement, but when it is time to get down and dirty, I end up alone with my hands covered in pumpkin guts. Strangely, though, it is therapeutic to feel the slimy insides and work to make the pumpkins clean. With each handful of goop, I feel oddly better. I am not sure why. Maybe it is the idea of being able to take something in my life and completely transform it into something new. We don't often get the chance to have that kind of control. Two hours later I emerge from my pumpkin surgery refreshed and renewed. The result - two glowing gourds. "Are the pumpkins carved yet?" "Yes," I reply. And then I turn them over to their rightful owners. If only everything in life could be as easy as carving a pumpkin...