Bird News

Ghosts

I realized today that I have been thinking a lot about ghosts for the past few weeks. I don't usually think about ghosts but lately conversations about them have been on the rise. Today, one of my friends, who has never had a conversation with me about anything of that nature, brought up a topic that included a mention of a ghost. I promptly joined in and turned it into yet another spirited (couldn't resist) discussion. It was funny because I realized that last night I had a dream about ridding a house of unwanted ghosts.

There is a reason for all this. I have a basic belief in all sorts of ghosts but am usually not too interested or concerned to think about them. Lately, however, the topic keeps entering my mind since we are preparing to move and we haven't found a new place yet. Aside from being high-maintenance in all sorts of ways about where we will live, I place great importance on living in a ghost-free environment-- or at least a benevolent ghost environment.

I have lived in the same house now for 8 years and aside from loving the place for its Victorian architecture and location, I have always felt like this house had (to be embarrassingly new age-y) "good energy." Despite its crazy downtown location and its proximity to staggering drunks and late-night howling college students, I have always felt a calmness inside these walls.

Eight years ago, when a friend and I were looking for a house to rent, we found another beautiful old Victorian house and I really liked it but it was out the question. Underneath its cheery yellow paint, I felt creepy in it and I was convinced that it had the kind of ghosts that would be better left alone.

I define ghosts fairly obtrusely. To me, they are not always conscious entities but can also be lingering ideas. Upon moving into our current (100 year old) house, I had a dream that there were indeed ghosts here, but that they only hung out (or swirled around) by the ceiling. I was convinced that the ghosts here were more like good memories that protected the place.

I think that after 8 years in such a house, maybe a part of me will be left swirling around in the ceiling as well.