My World With Words

When I was little, I believed in the magic of Mr. Bubble. Those of you old enough will remember the TV commercials for this kid’s bubble bath in which Mr. Bubble rose up in the tub and talked to the delighted children. I would sit in my bath until every last bubble was gone, waiting for Mr. Bubble to appear.

I don’t remember believing in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy (although one of my favorite books was all about the Tooth Fairy), but I believed in the magic powers of this powdered soap. You could say that one way or the other, a kid’s imagination is going to end up disappointing her.

But that’s not to say that same imagination won’t delight a child. While I never exactly had an imaginary friend, I confided all of my secrets to my rag doll, Jennifer. When she finally fell apart after years of loving, I was devastated. I don’t think I ever believed she was real in a real person sense, just in that real doll sense. I knew she could keep a secret, so she must have understood them, right?

In these troubling times–and I speak not only of world and national troubles, but of the day-to-day struggles so many of you are dealing with–imagination seems the best escape. As adults we temper the imaginary with the real, and that’s not so bad. But we have to be able to believe in better times and to conjure up images of what those days will look like.

Call it a coping mechanism or call it a dreamer’s dream, imagination may save you and keep you sane.

At least, it helps me. And now I’m heading in for a bubble bath…

How do you get rid of clutter when in that mess are a multitude of possessions you value?

I’m faced with that right now. Moving from a townhome to an apartment and losing a considerable amount of square footage has resulted in a second bedroom chock full of stuff. So much of it is decorative items I truly love but don’t have a place for right now–and realistically, never will again.

I tell myself I need to be ruthless in cleaning out this room, but that’s easier said than done.

As it stands I don’t have a place for some things I definitely want to keep, like the broken-down boxes I used to ship my worldly goods from one home to another. Buying those boxes adds up and I want to keep them for my next move. I plan to store them under the dining room table, but I’ve got full boxes I need to sort through sitting there right now.

Your eyebrows may have raised at the mention of my dining room table and its current home in my spare bedroom. I need to sell it, but that’s impossible at this moment since it’s buried in the debris of my life. I had planned to post a for sale sign on the company bulletin board back when I was scheduled to move, but we were in the throes of uncertainty with the corona virus and that uncertainty included apprehension about job security. Nothing on the bulletin board was selling and besides, truth to tell, I love that table and was reluctant to sell it.

The cats are having a jolly good time in this spare room, with all its hiding places and jumping-off spots. That seems to be the one benefit in all of this.

I tell myself, it’s one box at a time, but that’s getting more and more difficult. Right now I have a couple of boxes of books I want to dig out and donate to the local used book store–they raise money for the library–but those boxes are buried under other boxes with a mix of materials, most of which I can’t decide what to do with.

Eventually, the local Goodwill will benefit. Until then, I sit in this room (the chair is clear) and stare.

Image credit: © Federica Fortunat–stock.adobe.com

Anyone else having trouble with their WordPress account? I can’t “like” any posts (well, once or twice with great persistence I’ve managed to do so on the Reader).

I’m also having a great deal of trouble with this block editor!!!  

This photo is ©Jennifer – stock.adobe.com by the way. I added it when I was trying to add a feature photo. It took me forever to figure out how to do that, and I’m not sure I can do it again.

 

Click on “View Original Post” to see the video. I realize my followers and others who may view this blog live around the world and therefore may not be able to help Vivian, but keep in mind cat rescue facilities near your home the next time you are looking for a pet.