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.

I’ve always felt that people are entitled to their own beliefs, even if they differ from mine. I know just enough to realize how much I don’t know or understand about the universe we call home, not to mention life, death and everything in between. Maybe they are privy to some knowledge that I am not.

For every person I know who is adamant that spirits and ghosts are little more than folklore, I know at least one that is just as adamant in their belief to the contrary. They have told me about things they have seen, felt and heard that have given me goose-bumps. In fact, just thinking about what they’ve told me is giving me those tell-tale shivers right now. I wouldn’t dream of discounting their experiences. I just haven’t experienced anything similar on my own. And I guess I’m looking for something definitive to happen, something I can’t explain away.

Oh, how I hope some intrepid spirit doesn’t take that as a challenge. Because, while I’m open to the possibilities of their existence, I’m also a big pansy. Confronted with any real evidence of ghosts and ghoulies, I’d probably die of fright. Or, at the very least, wet myself.