On Sunday afternoon, there was a break in the rain, and we needed to get out of the house. I tried to convince my son to go for a scooter around the neighborhood, but he was having none of it. The compromise was to blow some bubbles in the front garden. We ended up sitting on the garden wall overlooking the sidewalk. Every time people walked past, my son would blow a wall of bubbles in their direction. Their reactions were the same. They all cracked a smile. I saw toddlers stop and marvel, older couples jump and try to pop a bubble just above their heads, serious tri-athletes and iron men give us a wink and a smile as they ran past. A little girl walked past and giggled as she tried to pop the bubbles. After she left, my son told me that she was laughing because her bucket of joy was overflowing.

I think we filled up some buckets with joy during an uncertain and stressful time. Don’t forget to blow bubbles. People are dealing with a myriad of struggles. I often underestimate what a small, simple act can do to change their mood or snap them out of a funk.

Photo by Letizia Bordoni on Unsplash