Balloons And Joy

I was having a real cruddy day. My hours got cut at work without notice, after I was just promised more hours for my strong work ethic a few days ago. My favorite shoes got a hole in the sole. My cat threw up in my bed sometime during the night and I woke up in it. It was just a nasty day that kept getting worse. Being broke, and soon to be even more broke, I decided to take a walk at the park, hopeful that feeding a few ducks and listening to happy kids would brighten my day.

The playground was surprisingly empty when I pulled in, but I could hear happy squeals of joy coming from somewhere. Curious, I grabbed my bag of seeds and walked towards the noise. A woman was twisting balloons into swords, crowns, Pikachus, dragons, and all kinds of crazy designs I’d never seen before at an impressive speed for a crowd of eager kids. Distracted from my duck goal, I took a seat nearby and watched her go to town. After the crowd dissipated, she pulled a green and red balloon out and smiled at me while working her magic. In no time she made a beautiful rose and wordlessly handed it to me. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite animated movie, so it was extra special and unexpected. She then just walked off. I took my rose and seeds and newfound smile to feed the birds. I overheard a few moms talking to one another when I was walking out and found out she visits randomly and makes balloon animals for everyone, paying for the supplies out of her own pocket. I figured the city paid her!

Some people really do just want to make this world a better place. My circumstances didn’t change, but my attitude did. Thank you, balloon lady! Little things mean a lot.