Halloween marks the undeniable end of summer and has been created to prepare us for the loss of sunlight, warmth and greenery.  And as we brace for the gray days of winter, Halloween is a valiant effort to add some frivolity and some candy to aid with any seasonal affective disorder we may feel,  like taking an anti-depressant without having to get a prescription.

As the neighbors put out their Halloween decorations, I’ve  noticed a preoccupation with the  theme of death this year. Giant 10-foot-tall skeletons grouped together in front yards, all with eerie smiles looking down at each passerby. You don’t need to read Washington Irving’s “The Headless Horseman” to get in the mood of the season. Just take a walk down the block and meet all sorts of witches, ghosts and goblins. It’s the season of death.

We all have trouble with season endings as well as with endings in general.  The challenge of ending relationships  was best expressed by  Paul Simon’s song “50 Ways to Leave Your  Lover.”

Even something as simple as ending a day has big challenges to it and is the reason so many Americans are sleep deprived. No one seems to be able to  turn off the tube and sleep.  I recall as a kid I would fall asleep at the top of the stairs rather than committing to bedtime.

And, of course, the ultimate challenge, greater than dealing with the end of summer or the end of a day,  is the ending of life itself.    “Rage, rage against the dying of the light,” thus spoke Dylan Thomas in his famous poem “Do not go gentle into that good night” .

Well, since we’re on the subject, how does one to properly face death or the idea of mortality?

Perhaps the most common way to approach one’s own ending is to deny that it will ever happen it.  Ernest Becker’s book “The Denial of Death”  was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for its discourse on mankind’s denial of their own death.  As I mentioned in one of my recent columns, endurance runners, marathoners, motorcyclists, mountain climbers and Nascar drivers  all take a counterphobic  approach  to death by having a face-off with death itself  every day.  Others take a more tame approach to death by taking drugs, drinking or trying to have excessive sex.

Of course, any of these compulsive and manic methods seem to lack a certain wisdom.  A more novel and less used approach to death may be to try to understand one’s actual purpose in life. This requires one to answer the age-old question of what the meaning of life is. Philosophers like Nietzsche and Sartre, poets like Robert Frost, mystics like Jesus Christ and playwrights like Thornton Wilder and Samuel Beckett have all tried to answer this question. What is the meaning of life and what was I put on earth to do?   Hopefully, we come up with an adequate answer before we kick the bucket.

I would put my money on the following answer. Mortality means that our time is limited and therefore we need to do two things. Firstly, we ought to do our best to enjoy each day. Slow down, smell the roses, take a break, have some fun. This makes sense. But just doing that is not going to be enough to allow you to have peace when the grim reaper comes to visit.  The second thing one has to do in order to accept mortality is to observe that you have contributed your small share to the world.

If you are a mother, you have given to your kids. If you are a teacher, you have given to your students. If you are an athlete, you have given to the fans. No matter what you do and no matter how much money you make, you have contributed to the grand design of life. You have achieved your purpose and have found your meaning. You can call this pride, contentment, or calmness.

The awareness that you have made your contribution means that you have done some good and this is probably what Christ  meant when he said “look around you and behold the kingdom of heaven.” He was alluding to the idea that life can be a simple affair if you take the time to look without and to look within yourself and appreciate who you are.

Witches, ghosts, and goblins are reminders that we are mortal and will not live forever.  So as you enjoy your Halloween Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup candy also make sure you take a moment to congratulate yourself for being who you are, a person who has done his or her best to contribute to the world you live in.