GOOD BUBBLES AND NOT SO GOOD BUBBLES

I have some very early memories of this song:

I am forever blowing bubbles
Pretty bubbles in the air.
They fly so high, nearly reached the sky
Then like my dreams, they fade and die.
Fortunes is always hiding,
I’ve looked for it everywhere.
I am forever blowing bubbles,
Pretty bubbles in the air.

My parents had a big wooden cabinet in the living room that contained an AM and shortwave radio (no FM). It also had a record changer in it that could play regular LPs (33 and 1/3) vinyl discs, 45 RPMs (the speed of rock ‘n roll singles back then), and 78 RPMs (the speed required for the “ancient” records my parents had).
I loved listening to my parents’ brittle and breakable “ancient” records. My favorites included a recording of the original Broadway cast album of Rogers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific. Many hours of joy came out of that Victrola listening to Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza singing songs like  “I’m going to wash that man right out of my hair” and “Some enchanted evening.”

But I also loved hearing Doris Day sing “I’m forever blowing bubbles.” 

The song was first recorded and released in 1919, and a long list of singers and orchestras have had “hits” with it. “Bubbles” has experienced several big revivals. For example, in the 1930s the tune was featured in several blockbuster gangster movies. Doris Day sang the song in a hit movie, and it has also been featured in films directed by Ken Russell, and Woody Allen.

Kim Taylor Henry

Recently, several things have happened that have reminded me that sometimes bubbles can be very good, and at other times bubbles can have a very negative side. Spiritual writer, Kim Taylor Henry, certainly reminded me of the positive side of bubbles.

Kim is the author of Making God Smile, which shows how in our modern world we can resonate with— what the apostle Paul called—the “fruit of the spirit.” Reflecting love, joy, peace, self-control., etc. can go a long way to raise our consciousness and improve a lot of contemporary situations.
Kim wrote that her young granddaughtersrecently “squealed and laughed as their dad waved a bubble wand and transparent globes flew into the air. Big bubbles, little bubbles, bubbles, bubbles, iridescent in the sunshine. The bubbles were short-lived, but brought a sparkle of joy before vanishing.”

Kim thought of “the joy bubbles God puts into my life. The bubbles he sends me are fleeting moments of delight, bursts of blessing that take forms. My bubbles have included sitting in front of a blazing fireplace reading and eating dark chocolate, receiving a hug from a loved one, catching a glimpse of a butterfly lighting on a flower, feeling sun warmth seep into my skin, and seeking an ice cream smeared grin from my two year old granddaughter.”

Recently, Kim saw four small, unique flowerpots that would be great for her home. She purchased two of the flowerpots and put them on her windowsill. They looked beautiful together, but she realized she could have fitted all four of the flowerpots in this space. With all of these ceramic beauties, she could start an herb garden.
Often, items do not last long on the shelves in this store because things are snatched up quickly. So Kim jumped into her car and went back to the store. Would the two remaining flowerpots still be at the store? “They were! Smiling, I snatched them up. ‘Thank you for the bubbles, Lord,’” Kim said.
Kim wrote a short prayer which goes like this: “Now that I’m looking, I see so many bubbles You send floating into my life, flashes of pleasure that brighten my day. Thank You, Lord, for the bubbles.”

But there can be a not so great side to bubbles. Before the call to ministry, I was in economist as many of you know. In economics there is something called a bubble when an asset price for a stock, bond, sector of the economy, or even an entire economy becomes irrationally inflated. This is like a soap bubble, and when it pops, it can cause a lot of damage.

Economic history shows a long string of economic bubbles. A few hundred years ago, there was the great tulipmania. People invested fortunes in tulip bulbs which inflated in value – – only to come crashing down. In recent years, we have experienced the suffering caused by the so-called dot com bubble of the early 2000s. Then there was the great real estate bubble which started in 2008.

Recently, we have seen a financial bubble when Donald Trump’s company— Truth Social— went public. While the company has never earned a profit, the initial public offering of stock in the company resulted in billions of dollars in investments. This bubble has not totally burst yet, but it has shown signs of being ready to pop.
A former chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve (America’s central bank) called such financial bubbles “irrational exuberance.” The great economist, John Mayer Keynes, said that these economic bubbles can resemble “feeding time at the zoo.” These types of bubbles cause much pain, misery, and hardship in our world.

So all this has got me thinking about what are the key differences between Kim’s type of bubbles and these economic bubbles. I think there are several key differences.

First, Kim’s bubbles are not created by greed and selfishness, while the economic bubbles tend to be based on these dark forces.

Second, Kim does not make a false God out of her bubbles, while these economic bubbles tend to be based on idolatry— Yes, a modern form of Aron and the golden calf.

Third, for Kim, her bubbles tend to be like the cherry on top of the sundae. However, from the tulipmania to the modern housing bubble, economic players have mistaken the economic bubble from the actual entire sundae.

Lastly, Kim has realized that like everything in the material world her bubbles will not last forever. She puts her faith in something else besides the bubbles. For the players in the economic bubble world, they have fooled themselves into believing that the bubble will last forever— or they will be bright enough to get out before the bubble bursts. (Thus, it’s like everyone playing musical chairs, and expecting that everybody will win. It doesn’t happen that way!)

May we enjoy bubbles like Kim and have the power and wisdom not to get sucked up into bubbles like we see in the world of economics.