🎋The Bubble🎋… by JoAnn

Have you ever heard the expression that someone is living in their own bubble? I have to ask…Aren’t we all? And is it always a negative thing to do so?

Living in a bubble has actually been a part of my personality for as long as I can remember. I have been a loner since I was a young child. I never seemed to just fit in. I have always had to choose to fit in and act accordingly so that I would. Fitting in never came naturally outside of my immediate family of five.

Living in a bubble can be defined in quite a few ways. The one most people assume is that of mental illness—the patient who cannot deal with reality in a healthy manner. Or someone being inside a literal plastic bubble because of physical health reasons. The internet has hundreds of memes about both. Some are comical, and many are quite profound. It seems to be an interesting topic of conversation.

I have found my bubble to be a form of security and a place to hide from a cruel world—where I find peace in solitude. I don’t believe that I am mentally ill, but someone who has found a way to deal with life’s stresses that can be overwhelming. Is that bad? I think it would be worse for me to use an alternative, such as alcohol or drugs, to deal with life.

I may have found other options along my journey to deal with the hard knocks of life. Some may be more acceptable than a bubble. But my bubble works for me for some reason, and I am happy with it. I’m sure that sounds a little crazy to some of you. But it’s simply a coping mechanism for me.

Perhaps I have no bubble at all and am simply an introvert. I have often daydreamed of how the perfect life would be living on a mountaintop, in a cozy cabin, with only critters to keep me company. My kids call me a hermit. I take that as a compliment. I don’t bother anyone and am quite happy living alone. The way I see it, there are much worse things to be.

I hope I’ve given you something else to ponder.