When I was 5, my parents briefly had a “let’s try being normal” phase and we lived in a suburb and I went to an actual school. We did Halloween and Christmas for the first time. The culture shock was real–and brief because we dipped back into the cult again not long after that.

We did trick-or-treating and it was amazing. But the thing burned forever in my memory was this guy at one house had a white baby grand piano on his lawn and he wore a white suit, and he had mood spotlights and a smoke machine. He dramatically and ominously played piano while his wife gave out candy.

I had no idea what was going on or if this was normal, but I did know one thing. It’s worth it to do the thing. Even if it feels over the top. Too big. Too loud. Too much. If you feel it, do it. Art comes in all forms. Ignore the haters and the boring people who roll their eyes. Life is too short to diminish yourself to meet people’s expectations.

You might not remember the little girl staring in awe from the sidewalk while you vibed with the universe, but she remembers you.