Bubbles and Eureka Springs

Years ago, the hubby and I took a trip to Arkansas. We went to Eureka Springs in the Ozark Mountains. It was a quaint town with lots of original Victorian buildings. The town is built around the city’s natural springs and was incorporated in 1880. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Native Americans and European folks, who settled there once upon a time, claimed the springs had great HEALING powers. When word of the miraculous individual healings that had occurred, spread… thousands of people flocked to the area to see for themselves. From then on, the community marketed the springs as therapeutic. As a result, Eureka Springs became a vacation destination and retirement Mecca for more than a century. One of the reasons we stopped there was because of their reputation for healing. But also… as lovers of art in many forms, my hubby and I had heard through the grapevine… that there were numerous eclectic shops in the old buildings, throughout the city. That intrigued us. So we parked our car and set out to explore. It was challenging walking up and down the streets there, though… because of the steep winding pathways and mountainous terrain. But headed downhill on our jaunt, we saw bubbles wafting through the air. The further down the hill we went, the more and more bubbles filled the sky. We got immersed in them. They were iridescent and the effect was magical and mezmerizing. We found our Zen. When we finally reached the bottom of the path… sitting outside the shop, was a very interesting character, dressed in period costume…. manning the bubble machine that produced the bubbles… that had peaked our curiousity. We had a delightful time discovering this hidden gem and the handcrafted items inside. We were there for at least an hour or longer, looking at all the treasures. (Try as I might, I can't remember this shop's name) Afterwards, we went on to other sights, but the little whimsical shop, with the bubbles... from that moment on, held a special place in my heart. It became one of the most memorable excursions in my life, and taught me how to heal myself, without the springs themselves. Whenever the stress of the day or a situation seems impossible in my world, silly as it sounds, I blow bubbles. It calms my nerves and invigorates my senses. It takes me to a place of serenity and peace. When I attended a recent seminar on Mental Health one of the psychologists there, suggested blowing bubbles, to relieve tension for children and adults. So I felt vindicated. It was not such a farfetched idea after all. During these difficult times,with unemployment worse than the Great Depression, the pandemic killing and making our population sick, racial divide and unrest... and partisan politics, dominating our news cycles…. many of us are overwhelmed by it all. Perhaps buying a bottle of bubbles, or bubble machine, seems trite or frivolous in the midst of these crisis’s. But... rather than day drinking, or making numerous trips to the fridge, why not give it a try. See if it lifts your spirits or your children’s... for just a moment or so. Maybe you too, can find your ZEN amid all the turmoil. And let that carefree attitude, take you through the day.