I’ve been helping out my daughter for the past few weeks, she hasn’t been feeling well. So go ahead! Twist my arm & ask me to stay and play with my grandbaby, otherwise known as my heart. I forgot (30 years later) just how energetic, loving, crazy, psycho and draining a two year old can be!!!
He was pretty upset with me because I told him it was time to stop watching TV. Oh don’t judge! We were watching learning videos about colors, numbers & letters. I thought, “I’ll get him in the bathtub, that’s always fun.” No, it wasn’t. He fought the whole way in. Oh this sounds really bad, he’s a good little boy, but this was the worse I’ve seen as far as, “What can I do to get my way?!?!” Of course I had to show him I was more stubborn than him. When I ran the bath water, I added some bubbles. I mean really, bubbles would melt the heart of any soon-to-be-a-man, don’t you think?
At first he was interested in the bubbles, but then they stuck to his arm. The screaming was epic. He was terrified of those beautiful bubbles attached to his arm. What is a grandma to do? Please tell me, how do I fix this one? Somehow through my antics, a two year old switch flipped and he decided that those bubbles were the coolest thing ever. Phew! Do you see me wiping my forehead? Can you feel the relief? I don’t ever want to be the one of eight grandparents that caused him to have trypophobia. Where could that lead?
I knew that phobias were named using Greek words & I was quite the Greek freak in school, so I looked up and found Trypophobia, which is a new term that has been adopted by unofficial sources to describe “fear of small holes”. These small holes can be from many different sources of which one is bubbles. Evidently, it can cause great fear in those who suffer from the issue. Can you imagine family reunions? What if Jake would be afraid of blowing bubbles with the other kids because of Dink, tisk, tisk.
It was pretty easy to convince a two year old that bubbles are awesome. But when we get ourselves stuck in a proverbial bubble as adults, sometimes it’s not so easy to pop it, eh? I’ve done it myself, you know, wrapped myself up in an attitude, fear of trying something new, or thinking that what I was experiencing at present was my new reality for life. For some it leads to prejudice, complacency, negativity and more.
Bubbles are fragile. All they are is soap, water and air. The bubbles of life that keep us from moving forward from a negative situation or attitude can be popped. Usually, all we have to do is decide to break it. You may be stuck in a life bubble, if so . . . What is holding you in a small place? What are you afraid of? Who is it affecting? Are you, in effect, screaming like a two year old with white stuff attached to his arm, when in reality so much more is available to enjoy?
All this talk about bubble baths, I think I need to go have one myself! Don’t you have a big red tub in your pickup too?
Or, at the very least, go to Walmart & buy a bottle of bubbles and remember. Remember what it’s like to be a kid, free to enjoy, get caught up in the beauty, magic and simplicity of bubbles.
Enjoying the Adventure!
Dr. Dink
downtoearthpositive 