There is a ghost that haunts the Palmer House, and her name is Lucy. When we go to the Palmer House for our events with Ghost Stories Ink, Jessica and I like to stay in her room. It always feels like a girl party when we do.
Lucy doesn't like things in her room to be messy. Not that we're that messy when we travel, but one of us has a tendency to overpack. (What can I say, if we're driving, I'm going to bring the extra pair of boots! And maybe my pillow. And books. Always books. Ok, you get the idea.) Anyway. Even though I have a bunch of stuff, I make an extra effort to keep it organized when I stay in Lucy's room. It's about respect.
Which leads me to my point. There was a certain television crew, that made a point to mess up Lucy's room. They were trying to get a reaction out of her by provoking her. In our time at the Palmer House, I've also heard a story or two about hotel guests that try to recreate what happened on a certain television show.
Let's just back up a minute. I've been researching ghost stories and studying the paranormal for a really long time. I've come to the conclusion, through my work, that there is something there. And more often than not, it's not just something, but someone. Or maybe a tiny piece of someone that got left behind in this world when they passed, for whatever reason.
Some people develop an interest in the paranormal because they are looking for proof. And I get that the instinct might be to "find proof" and "evidence" by doing whatever it takes to get something to happen. But assume for the sake of argument that there is something there, and it's actually a someone. What if that someone were your Grandma? Or your friend whose life got taken too young? Would you go into their space yelling at them? Or trying to provoke them? Would you really want some stranger walking into their space to yell at them? And do something specifically to irritate them? I hope not. I'm guessing if they are stuck here, they already have enough issues.
How about one additional thought to consider. If there is something there, maybe it's a someone or maybe not...do you really want that someone or something to be mad at you?
At our Ghost Stories Ink events, we always say that we get a lot more "evidence" and "proof" when use good manners. "Please" and "thank you" go along way in this life, as well as the next. It never hurts to treat others the way you want to be treated.
It's about respect.
