Today was the day to be better. I didn’t have a choice. I’d committed to more than I could afford to miss. Remember when we used to go do things—errands, work, parties—when we were sick? We’d say, “Oh, it’s just a little cold,” and sniffle our way through anything. There’s no way I could have still been contagious today, but I felt very aware of how congested I still sounded, like I should be doing sultry voiceovers or something. This is a post-Covid world.

The air warmed up to an average Colorado mountain Halloween. I spent the morning as still as possible, and at noon, I went to the elementary school for a party, to volunteer in the library, to watch the costume parade and trunk-or-treat. We had an early dinner and then went to our favorite trick-or-treating route with an extra friend and my brother, sister-in-law, and niece. I love our tiny town for celebrations like these.