Our Tiny Bubble

As children, we waited eagerly for life to move. Time felt too slow, as though the world around us was racing ahead. We were impatient to grow, to have the things we loved, and to experience the world with wide-eyed excitement. Now that we are older, we live in our tiny bubbles—spaces we fill with hopes, dreams, and the things we cherish most. We guard those spaces carefully, afraid of what might pop them, afraid to let someone in. There’s no room for you, stranger. But then it happens. A loved one steps into your bubble. And in that moment, everything changes. The bubble grows, stretching to hold them. It fills with laughter, memories, and moments you didn’t know you needed. Together, you create something beautiful—something shared. But bubbles are delicate, and there comes a time when the space feels too full. It becomes cramped, and you begin to feel trapped. One of you has to leave, and you don’t want that. The thought of losing them, of shrinking back into an emptier space, feels unbearable. Yet, eventually, they drift away. And suddenly, you are alone. The bubble feels heavy—still full of their presence, yet somehow hollow. You want to hold onto what they left behind, to keep the pieces of them, even though it cramps the space you so desperately need to move, to breathe, to explore. So, slowly, you begin to clear the space. You let go of what weighs you down, but you hold on to what you cherish—their laughter, their lessons, the love they gave. Because what they showed you is this: your bubble can grow. It grows when you let someone in, and it grows stronger when they leave. And one day, it will expand again. Another loved one will step inside, and together you will stretch that space. In time, you’ll realize the bubble was never meant to stay small. It was meant to grow, to hold not just one person but many. Eventually, it becomes vast enough to share with a whole community, a city, even the world. Because the people we love—whether they stay or leave—live on. They fill our spaces, shape who we are, and show us that our bubble was never meant to hold just one heart.