Ripples #1136: Flubbidy, Flubbidy

PEBBLE

The presence of anxiety is unavoidable…the prison of anxiety is optional.
-Max Lucado, shared by John in Memphis, TN

BOULDER

Please keep in mind that whatever you’re going through, this challenging time in your life is merely IN your life. So be sure to keep this slice of your life in perspective and don’t let it overwhelm you. Remember: nothing is everything. The part is not greater than the whole.
-Karen Salmansohn, shared by Sam in Phoenix, AZ

PONDER

If you hang out with me over on our Team Ripples Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/TeamRipples), or joined on as a Patreon Peep* (https://www.patreon.com/RipplesGuy), you know that last week I was feeling flubbidy.

If you’re scratching your head right now, it’s probably best to just direct you to a video (YouTube: https://youtu.be/KYbfAUbd-AA & Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TeamRipples/permalink/10158064927981662/) so you can more fully understand this word I invented. Here’s the short version: I’ve been recently struggling to describe the complicated swirl of thoughts and feelings that so many of us have been experiencing, and I had been hesitant to talk about my own struggles publicly because I’m not really needing sympathy or support right now.

I just wanted remind the people who witness my mostly upbeat, goofy, hopeful and helpful self on Zoomie Zooms, Video Peptalks and other social media posts, that they are only seeing one part of me. There are plenty of times that I’m juggling a mix of overwhelm, frustration, grief, and sometimes even despair. Here’s the cool part: sometimes even on the really tough days, random bits of goofy weirdness, authentic joy, calm serenity, and yes, even HOPE make brief appearances, too. It’s a weird mix, and I didn’t know what to call it until a few days ago when I heard a voice inside me say: I AM FLUBBIDY!

So there, I said it. I’m flubbidy. And I know many of you are flubbidy, too. Some of you are struggling more than others, and some of you are mostly doing just fine. Just remember that most of us keep our flubbidy on the inside most of the time. This is perfectly acceptable, as long as we don’t become ashamed of it or think we’re the only ones who are struggling. And remember: most of us are not psychic readers, or psyche readers for that matter. We can rarely assess the amount and intensity of someone else’s flubbidy.

The struggle is real. So is the antidote: patience, compassion, empathy, and generosity. Towards ourselves. Toward others. And even towards the flubbidy.

Are you in?

Peace,
Paul

*Paul’s Patreon Peeps: Besides supporting our Ripply projects, my trusty band of Patreon Peeps also receive invites to monthly Zoom calls with The Ripples Guy. Ooh, and even sneak peeks upcoming projects! We would love to have a few more Peeps to hang out with, so consider joining us if you’d like to help and also have some fun!

https://www.patreon.com/RipplesGuy

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