The Un-Scary Need Not Apply

I was entertained by this sign as I made my way to Madison earlier this
week. It brought back memories of my daughter who lives in Oregon. 

This sign caught my attention as I drove into Madison this week. It reminded me of a phone call I received from one of my daughters a few years back. I remember feeling uncertain about how I should respond because, although she was clearly making a statement, I sensed by the tone of her voice, that she also wanted answers.

         ---------------------

Shortly after graduating from high school, our youngest daughter, Jessie, moved to Portland, Oregon. Her dad and I stoically stood by as she loaded her belongings onto a train and headed west.

This was grade school. Jessie is the smiling witch
with the black hat and gown. (can enlarge)

Several months later, the phone rang. It was Jessie. "Mom! I'm not scary!" I heard her say. "Oh, really?" I wondered why she felt the need to be scary.

Jessie went on to explain that she had been hired to help build a haunted house in downtown Portland. The job was short-term but perfect for her. Once it was complete, organizers hired staff to work inside the newly created haunt. Jessie was one of them. As I found out, her career as a ghoul was short-lived because she didn't have enough ghoul-like traits to do the job sufficiently. In other words, she wasn't scary.

As attendees filed through the Halloween house of horrors, Jessie, in her bedizened garb and ghoulie ghoul makeup gingerly leaped from the darkness, arms extended overhead, fingers curled, face and hands contorted. As she did so, she shouted, "Boo!" in her loudest, meanest, scariest voice. Instead of deafening screams and looks of sheer terror, she was greeted with blank stares. This happened repeatedly that evening. If I remember correctly, she resigned from the position the very next day.

Now for a little update: Not long after working at the haunted house, Jessie started school and earned a bachelor's degree in Apparel Design. She will be launching her clothing line this fall. She is currently on her way to NYC to show her designs at the 2011 (capsule) Trade Show. I am very proud of her. She accomplished a lot in a very short period of time. Pure determination (and natural talent) is what got her where she is today. See her new collection at Saint Elyns.