Hansy and the Orange Balloon

Yesterday, we attended the first birthday party of our neighbors' son, Shan. It was just like any other birthday with cake, food, and loot bags :); however, while waiting for other guests to arrive, my little Hansy was handed a wonderful orange balloon. And so, I scrapped the original post I was supposed to write (and make that a February entry) to make way for this little story told in pictures and quotes! I hope you enjoy reading this little post as much as Hansy enjoyed his orange balloon!

A balloon is a wonderful thing! It can be a metaphor for your ego (like an inflated balloon), your imagination (a helium balloon flying up and up the sky), or your life (wanting to soar but tethered to earth by strings attached). But for Hansy, it was a round orange wonder that drew out the tinker, the philosopher and the adventurer in little him.

At first, he said to Daddy (as interpreted by Mommy teehee), "Look! An orange ball! On a white stick!" And he continued to show it off to the rest of the people seated on the terrace. He bounced the "orange ball" around, and showed it to another man who told him, "Yes, balloon!" Then, he handed it to a lady, but quickly took it away again! Oh, was he excited to have such a wonderful thing!











He was not only excited about this orange balloon, but also really rather curious! He shook the white stick, and carefully examined the orange "ball". How did it get stuck to the stick? Perhaps I can take it off. So he tinkered with the "thing" in between the stick and the orange balloon. Hmmm...curiouser and curiouser! Nothing was too simple for his little open mind that was ready to absorb the world one little detail at a time.
 

 But after a while, he stopped his bouncing and tinkering. He seemed to have fallen into a deep reverie. For a full minute or two, he simply stood there, holding the orange balloon with a far away look in his eyes. Is he contemplating how life is like his orange balloon? How we can seem to be there, but our mind is somewhere else -- floating high up in another sky. Or, how life is as fragile as his orange balloon that with one pin prick we can burst in an instant--shattered by small words, small acts, small neglects. Oh, I really don't know what went on as he froze in our time! Perhaps, he took a wee trip somewhere else--carried away to a secret haunt by his lovely orange balloon.



Snapping out of his daze, Hansy raised his orange balloon and seemed to quote Winnie the Pooh.
Yes, who wouldn't be cheered by a bright orange balloon, especially on a gloomy day? Nobody can be too serious for so long either when someone hands you a bright orange balloon:)! It must be the little people's talent to find joy in the little things in the simple things...something that we, big people, often have to rediscover.

And so, it's time to work it! Not one to mope, our little man danced a jig, hence the blurry shot...
His antics brought out a smile on everyone's face. His glee was so contagious that we forgot our grumbling tummies! (We were waiting for the birthday lunch if you remember.)  Imagine how a little sunshine cast by an orange balloon is magnified by our little mirror of a cheerful boy. If only we could always remember that our lives are individual mirrors, reflecting what we choose to focus on, then perhaps we'd choose to be more radiant with what is good and pleasing (in the eyes of our Father).
But why did he dance? I could only guess! Perhaps, he remembered the movie, Up, that he watched last year...May be the orange balloon triggered the words: Adventure awaits!


Perchance, he imagined exploring the world in a hot air balloon! And every time he raised the white stick, he might have made a promise to some day soon when he is older, he'd set out on his own  grand adventure...

Sadly, just this afternoon in the course of writing this post, the wonderful orange balloon popped with a bang and was no more...But, hopefully when Hansy is older, he'd get to read his mommy's musings about his orange balloon and remember...all his plans for a great adventure!

Beautiful Beginnings

Happy New Year one and all!

I like the sound of "one and all" as opposed to simply saying "everyone" :)...If this was an article in the newspaper, that would probably be edited to "everyone" to save space, but since this is simply an unemployed momma's musings, it would do just fine! Oh, I could go on with why I like that "one and all", but this post is not about that! (So, I tell myself: stop please.)

Why does a start of a new year feel so fresh? Doesn't it just give you that tingling feeling of endless possibilities? It's like you are at the brink of opening a closed door without exactly knowing what you'd find inside, or like grabbing a pearly white bond paper to draw an elephant (that may end up looking like a hat). You can never really tell how exactly things would go and how your thoughts and actions will be received. There it is...the start of the year when you haven't broken any resolutions as yet (or have not even made one), when all your wonderful plans for the march of the months are still possible...isn't it beautiful?

Yes, it is beautiful! It is breathtaking! And I savor the moment...

           Check out the seven habits!

This new year, perhaps because I have set out to start writing down my thoughts out loud through a blog, I am more aware of the potent driving force of beginnings. (And perhaps because after almost 2 years of being unemployed, I have stopped thinking of the year starting in June and ending in March.) This reminds me of Sean Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens. Habit no. 2 says to begin with the end in mind. (I know I am not a teen anymore, but the original 7 habits book written by Sean's dad is for adults. Sean's is just more interesting with all the pictures and the great stories!)

So let us begin with the end in mind...These are not new year's resolutions, but are the mental visions of the end results I want to see this year ;)...

1. I have an organized schedule of cleaning parts of the house.
2. I have started giving tutorial sessions on a regular basis. (Not exactly a real job here...but an income generating project. Hurray!)
3. Our meals are planned ahead of time. (We can save time and energy.)
4. Hansy is potty trained.
5. I am on the way to becoming a "real" gardener.
6. We have a regular family devotions time.
7. I sleep earlier and wake up earlier. (Hmmm...as of now it's 2:22 am...tsk! tsk!)
8. I have read  one book a month (or more).
9. We are always early for Sunday School.
10. Hans' scrapbook for his first year of life is done and done.
11. I post a blog at least twice a month.
12. I have finally stepped foot in Boracay! (Imagine that! After 8 years in Iloilo, I. haven't. been.to.Boracay...sad really.)

Oh neat! 12 visions for the next 12 months!There you have it. I have written them down and announced them to the world...so help me God! :)

(Another list in a post...Will this be a trend? We shall see...)

P.S. They say that thoughts written down are more powerful than simply kept in the head because you are forced to put them into words and are confronted with them visually.
Have you written yours?