This little piece of rubber doesn’t look like much to begin with, a dark indistinguishable colour, odd shape. It’s been lying by itself in the drawer for a long time, dropped in there alongside a few rubber bands, a spare button to a piece of clothing that wore out years ago already, a nearly dried out nail varnish and yellowing take-away menus.
I take a deep breath, put it to my lips and blow.
I’ve never been good at this. It fills with a little air, the rubber resisting my breath until it runs out and I frown down at it, deflated again. Why am I trying? It’s not even anyone’s birthday.
But I can’t let it defeat me. I pull it around in my hands, willing some elasticity into this old thing. I breath in again, fill my lungs and then expell all the air that is in me into it.
And it grows. Grows and stretches until it is the size of a grapefruit. I pinch fingers around the opening, pull back and look at it. Purple! It looked blue.
One last deep breath and it fills in front of my face, blocking out my view of the room behind it, filling my eyes with bright lilac. I tie a knot and give it a little push and it bounces away from me into the air, lightly landing on the wood floor, hopping this way and that in the breeze.
This from that. This colour, this fullness, this smile-bringing balloon from that little piece of dark rubber. All it took was a deep breath and a little stretch.
I’m linking up with Lisa-Jo Baker at Gypsy Mama, for her five minute Friday prompt. Click over there to read the other contributions.
Photo source: pinterest
