The Balloon Test

Life is like a balloon.

I have an almost five year old daughter and she loves balloons.  She can have so much fun with a balloon.  She’ll bop it around for as long as she can!

It’s a good toy for inside as it doesn’t break anything and can be retrieved easily by kids of all ages, even grandparents.

There is an art, however, to the inflating of them.  A well inflated balloon will float; while an under inflated balloon will sink like a submarine. 

Balloons are like life in that you get out what you put in.  If you have fear that the balloon will pop and you stop short of fully filling the balloon with enough exhaled air, you get the submarine.  However, if you gage the inflation with sensibility, then you get a nicely inflated balloon which will float and bring joy to everyone.

It’s amazing how much joy one balloon can give!  We really are all like balloons in that if we are not filled with enough joy or life, then we falter in bringing our essential gifts forth to the world.  Inflating ourselves with enough of the good things and trusting that we can push our own spiritual balloons toward greater fullness gives us the gift of sharing our love and joy with others.

If, however,  in fear, we lack the courage to fill our spiritual balloons with enough air, which is in effect ‘prana’ ~ the Breath of Life ~ then, we will never know our own innate capacity to feel that fullness of Spirit and we will never know the *Magic* of that Joy and Love when we share it with others.

One thing I can say to amateur balloon inflaters is that you have to learn to trust that when the balloon gets to a certain size, you will know when it is at its threshold.  The balloon will tell you!   “If you blow me up anymore… one more breath… I WILL POP!” 

That is exactly when you tie it off… and let loose!

Kids laugh, scream and shriek at the sheer joy of a balloon bopping around.  I don’t know if it is the color, how it moves, or the personality of a balloon that makes kids so happy, [maybe all of the above] but I do know one thing for sure – it sure creates a lot of joy and that is what matters most.

So, inflate your balloons to their fullest extent… Don’t be scared that they will pop… if they do… say “OH!” laugh and try again!  It’s only a piece of plastic made out of a rubber tree and it’s worth the pennies it costs to buy one.

Have fun boppin’!

Namaste ~*