Just Bounce

Inspiration is such a mysterious thing.  It creeps up when we least expect it, often from the depths of our memories.  Once upon a time, in a desperate need for inspiration, I remembered a theory about bouncing. It came from Gwyneth Paltrow’s character in the movie Bounce. “That’s what I’ve been doing all this time,” she says, “bouncing…it’s like crashing, expect you get to do it over and over again.” That’s it, I thought, I just bounce.  Since my time as a single mom began, I’ve often thought, or even stated aloud, “That’s it.  The last straw.  The end of the line.  I’m going to crash this time, for sure.” But, somehow, inevitably, I just…bounce.  Sometimes, it takes a few bounces to get back on my feet. Other times, I bounce up higher than when I began the decent toward the ground. For the record, I rarely actually land ON my feet.  It’s more like a butt bounce, of sorts, and then I’m able to GET on my feet. There are times, even, when I find myself silently chanting, “just bounce, just keep bouncing.”  It gets me through.  Whatever, works, right?! Happy bouncing!