Jeb and I got a last minute invitation to join our neighbors for Halloween dinner.  Instead of wandering the wild streets of town with mobs seeking to fill their candy bags, we nestled in for the company of good friends.

After dark, an impromptu trick or treat expedition of our own took place on our neighbor’s property.  Fruit leathers instead of chocolate along with Japanese candies were doled out by a Captain Kangaroo character under the lemon tree.  Spooky, real-life tales were shared about a “Kung Fu rat” that once jumped out of a closet and landed on a friend’s shoulder.

At the end of the evening, Jeb and I walked back home together without a flashlight.  The moon was no where in sight.  Jeb walked closely by  my side, very quiet and keeping in exact step with me.  In one stretch of our path we walked through a covering of trees, which made it very dark.  Slowly, step by step, we emerged onto our empty one lane street, a bit lighter with all of the stars shining above us.  Everything was silent but for the crickets and the rumbling surf that crashed on the cliffs about a mile away from us.

Sometimes I get spooked in the dark.  But tonight there was no fear.  And I wanted Jeb to walk beside me and feel that certainty.  The confidence in knowing that we can walk through the dark – sometimes without a light – and we’ll be Ok.  In fact, in these moments of heightened awareness and trust, there’s often something magical to be discovered.