Weebles & Bozo
The world is crazy. Everyday I see suggestion about how to deal with the angst and worry that is blanketing each of us. Exercise, meditate, take a vacation, turn off the news—are four frequent suggestions. But, in reality, the madness is unavoidable (unless you check yourself into an alternative reality via drugs). Most of us cannot live at the beach on a perpetual ‘vaca’.
Recently as Jeannie and I were going through our toy closet deciding what goes and what stays I ran across a Weeble. Remember them? “Weebles wobble but don’t fall down!” Many days I feel like a Weeble. I do wobble back up—eventually. The ‘return’ can be slower depending on the day.
Or if you don’t identify with we Weebles, what about Bozo the Bop bag? As a kid, Bozo was as tall as I was—at least I out grew him, height wise. I am thinking that Bozo just might be one of the ways to cope. There are actually adult versions of Bozo, maybe a karate guy or boxer is more your style? Just to be able to lay back and wallop Bozo! Be ready to dodge when he swings back up though. (Each are available at Amazon)
Then I’m recalling the cemetery scene toward the end of Steel Magnolias when Clairee encourages Ms Lynn to lay into Quiser in hopes it would lessen her pain. Ms Lynn, Sally Field, restrains herself. But bopping Bozo is a tad different since he’s just a blowup.
Resilience is huge in life. Weebles and Bozo rather model resilience for us. Whoever said ‘sticks and stone may break my bones but words can never hurt me’ lied. Caustic, cynical language has been a part of sit-coms for a long while. But social media has taken it to new heights with the hateful, mean even threatening rhetoric. The divisiveness reaches into every area of our lives via all our screens. Everyone has something to say. Too many ignore vetting their sources—of their ‘truth’ or wisdom. Choosing ‘friends’ on Facebook or who I follow on Instagram or Twitter looks to be rarely considered. Then, the algorithms only serve to reinforce and too often magnify. As the old saying goes, Garbage IN, Garbage OUT—social media is too often dump sites.
With all this, regularly I am wobbling and ready to wallop Bozo. So my suggestion would be don’t show up in a clown costume—or you’re likely to get knocked to the ground.
A postscript: The Steel Magnolias scene in the cemetery actually does model two great ways to cope. One, keep working at long term relationships and the other, laughter is very good for us. Look for the lighter, funny side when at all possible. Silly/goofy works for me.