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Eileen Goudge

New York Times - BestSelling Author

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A BALLOON OF HOPE

 

It’s easy to get depressed reading the news. You have only to pick up a newspaper or click on a link to get bombarded by news of crime, crooked politicians, celebrity shenanigans, and crimes against humanity. It can make you want to crawl under the bedcovers and block out the world. Especially if you were feeling down, to begin with.

I’ll be honest. I’ve been down lately. Normally, I’m not one to complain. Growing up, I learned to put a smile on my face even when I was crying on the inside. “Fake until you make it” is a slogan that might have been coined for me. In my family, you kept your whining to a minimum if you knew what was good for you. With six children to care for, my mom didn’t have much patience for whiners, understandably. She was also a proponent of natural healing. Her remedy for a tummy ache was an enema, more often than not. Therefore, I tended to keep it to myself if I wasn’t feeling well, short of fever, coughing, chills, or red spots on my skin.

But this winter hit me hard. In December I came down with the flu (despite the flu shot I got in October). I was sick as a dog. If COVID is worse, I don’t think that I’d survive. For an entire week, I didn’t get off my couch. My husband had the same flu but recovered after two weeks. I, on the other hand, developed a sinus infection that I’m still battling. The worst of it is I’ve become a virtual shut-in. My daily walks, which keep me active and feed my soul, are on hold for now. I’m too sick and it’s too bloody cold.

I was desperately in need of a pick-me-up. I found it in a magazine article I read recently. It was a story about a man who discovered a red Mylar balloon caught in a tree branch while he was riding the trails near his home on his SUV. Attached to the balloon was a letter to Santa, written by two little girls, twin sisters who lived 650 miles away, he later learned. He posted about it on Facebook and heard from the mother of the girls. The man expressed his desire to fulfill the girls’ Christmas wish list. The mom was surprised and delighted. The man, joined by others in his community, sent gifts to the girls. One of the items on their wish list was a puppy. The girls’ got their puppy, after the man cleared it with the mom when they met four months later. The mom and girls have since become friends with the man. They keep in touch and have met on more than one occasion.

Talk about heartwarming. Reading the story, I was struck by the image of hope in the form of a balloon. What would happen I floated my hope for better days to come? I’m picturing it now as a red balloon rising into the sky. Even if no one finds it, hope floats, as we all know. Its mere existence can lift one’s spirits. My balloon of hope was in my hands. All I had to do was let go of the string and look up at the sky.

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  1. I loved a Balloon Of Hope– it really gave me a lift and the hope that this crazy world we are living in will right itself at least for our children. I feel so often that we are on a downward slope that cannot be righted–What has happened to our country and what has happened to the republican party , not to say that the democrats are angels but I do not recognize the republican party of today and it scares me to death.. Enough of the whining now is the time for hope!!

    • Like you, I can easily get bogged down by the news of the world. I think it’s important for us to take the occasional breather. Mine is to turn off my phone, not look at any social media or news, and go for a walk. Or just sit and read, if it’s raining or snowing outside. An hour or even a half an hour of free time usually restores my good mood.

  2. OMG! Aunt Mary’s “cure” was enemas?! I now consider my father’s penchant for Pepto Bismal, as much as I couldn’t stand it, a more pleasant fate.

    I am sorry you have been plagued by illness this winter. I am grateful you have escaped catching Covid!

    When your infection clears consider traveling to where you can walk in the woods or dip your toes in the ocean. Restore your Spirit.

    Sending light, love and healing energy. May you soon be well.

  3. Thanks, Eileen. Your story echos what I’m hearing from everyone and feeling myself.

    Friends and family, vaccinated and boosted, are getting COVID and we’re back to masking everywhere. A couple in our COVID “pod” came down with it a day after we visited them. We didn’t catch it put it sure put a hole in the “let’s get back to normal” balloon! I may just be cranky this morning, but I’m feeling stuck and impatient.

    Thanks for the reminder that this too shall pass if I launch my own balloon of hope and share it with others.

    • These are certainly challenging times, Janet. But as we move forward we gather momentum, I believe. The secret in life, and in maintaining good health, is to keep moving. And keep floating our hopes.

  4. I can sure relate to your “winter blues!” And your balloon…. For a very long time, I have used that “mental escape” from whatever problems I might be facing. I put all of MY problems into a red balloon, took it outside, let it go, and watched it float away until I could no longer see it. I chose RED because You can see it longer than the other colors. Somehow, after doing that, I felt better. I KNOW it’s ‘just’ a mental exercise, but HEY!, what works for you WORKS. Hope you are feeling much better by now even if it IS probably still cold and snowy where you are. Please take good care of yourself. Your friend (and fan) in Texas, Maggie S…..