Do you believe in ghosts and spirits? That after death, the essence of those who have passed can linger on? That these whispers of the past can wreak havoc with the living?

I seem to ask myself those questions more this time of year than any other. Giving a definitive answer to any of the above, however, is something I struggle with. I guess you could say that I’m on the paranormal fence when it comes to ghostly spirits and the like.

Have I had some experiences that have made the hair on the back of my neck stand at attention, sending shivers down my spine and causing the blood in my veins to beat at an unhealthy staccato? Absolutely. But with an imagination as overactive as mine, it’s hard to tell how much of what I’ve seen or felt actually was real and what was in my head. I just can’t rule out that it’s more power of suggestion or wanting to believe.

I have a friend who scoffs at the very idea that such things could possibly exist. The idea provokes such rancor in him, that it always shocks me. I think he’s convinced that everyone who does believe in them is delusional. (It’s the hoaxes that really get to him.) In some instances, that might even be the case, but I strive to keep a more open outlook.