The Bubbly Babble

Blog

  • “Is that not normal?”

    I was texting my best friend after work a story about an amazing interaction I had with a stranger. It was, as it normally is, a story of “good”. She responded with a text that said: “The amount of positivity you draw is insane.” And I was like, wow! What a perspective. Is that true? Wait, does everyone not live like this? I experience joy and positivity often in some of the most unexpected places. If I am lucky enough to tell you the stories of all the amazing people I have met, that will make me so happy! And that led me to thinking… “is that normal?”. And I don’t think it is.

    As a child, one of my favorite movies was the 1960 Disney Film Pollyanna with Hayley Mills. Have you seen it? It’s on Disney+, I checked, and you’re welcome. According to Google, it is a film about “an orphan who brightens the lives of everyone she meets”. Themes include the power of positive thinking, helping others, and expecting the best from everyone. It really is a great film, which I know now is based on the 1913 novel by Eleanor H. Porter. I am starting to wonder just how much of that sunk in with how many times I had seen it.

    I choose joy and look for joy so much that I often feel others will find me disingenuous. I would like to think that I choose kindness more often than not, although I would like to be the first person to tell you that for sure I can be an asshole from time to time. I expect people to choose the right thing, and I feel physical disappointment when I am proven wrong. I have a difficult time grasping the concept of things like greed, or intentional harmfulness.

    That is not to say I do not think they exist. I know they do. I see the world around me. Try as I might, I have yet to successfully bury my head in the proverbial sand. But I think for me, it’s more about which side of the coin I am focusing on, and which side of the coin I am leaving for others. And maybe that’s not “normal”, but I am thankful to get to be a part of it. 🙂

  • Life happens whether we like it or not.

    Life has a way of teaching us lessons whether we are ready to learn them or not. As Jalen Hurts recently said, “everything happens right on time.” I do believe that to be true. So although I feel like I have to continue to choose this outlook, I am leaning into life. Life happens. Day after day, we get to do this thing called life. I know that it’s not always the most fun. And I know we aren’t all dealt the same hand in this life, either.

    But boy, do I love to watch life happen. So in moments like these, where I am trying to connect all the dots, I remember that life is not happening on paper. It is multi-dimensional and living and breathing. There’s something really beautiful in letting life happen.

    For the record, I think I sound like an idiot. Literally, people are dying of hunger and hatred, but sure, Cherie, let life happen? What a privileged thing to say. And I agree. I am lucky. Simply by a roll of the dice was I born into the circumstances I am in. And while yes, we can all wish for more, I know how fortunate I am.

  • Let’s get this thing started.

    The world right now is a curious place. Everywhere I look, people are hurting. It’s enough to make me feel helpless, and I know that I am not alone. But as I said to a dear friend just the other day, every coin has two sides. Whether the coin lands on heads or tails, the other side STILL EXISTS. I think the same can be said about joy and pain. Especially when it comes to our lived experiences.

     There are enough proverbs and idioms already in existence that I do not need to try to come up with one on my own. Ying and Yang; Good and Evil; Light and Dark; Apparently according to my husband the second law of thermodynamics is also a good example of this. (edited to add that he later fact check himself and was incorrect. but hey! I trusted him ) That one’s for the nerds 😉  The practice becomes: how can we find it, when all we can see is one side?

    When it comes to joy, specifically,  what I have found more often than not; is that the joy is always there. Though you might have to look for it. Sometimes it’s quiet moments alone, sometimes it’s shared only between a few, and sometimes its millions of people getting behind an underdog football team and sharing in the joy of their success. (Go Birds.) There is joy to be found in every situation, around every corner, and it might be buried deep our souls. But it is there.  

    Cool Cherie, what’s your point?

    Well, to put it simply,  I want to be about uncovering the joy. I want to be about working through the pain – together. One of my favorite things to say is that Life is a team sport. I truly believe that. Sure we can do things alone, but we can do so much more together. We have all experienced the joys and the struggles of this life, and I think if we can manage to use our learnings to help the next one figure it out just a little bit quicker, well there’s joy in that too! 

    So I guess what I am saying is it’s time to air our dirty laundry – at least mine anyway.  Because I am sure that my experiences are not mine alone. A friend of mine often says, “the human experience is not unique”. I agree with this to a point, and specifically to the point that we can use our experiences to help others with theirs. I do believe it will circle its way back to you, if that’s something you’re worried about. 

    Over the last few years, I have seen people connect and build some really special relationships right in front of my eyes , and I think it’s time to come out from behind the bar and see just how far we can let that magic grow. I sincerely hope you will join me. 

    ❤