Bursting of the Bubbles
I was that child on the softball field blowing bubbles with my watermelon-flavored bubblegum the size of my face. Given the fact that my mother would only allow me to consume the sugary goodness when I had an entire field at my feet’s mercy, I would chew and blow, chew and blow until the flavor was gone (or at least until I could unwrap a new, flavorful hunk of gum to start in on). That watermelon gum was my life for seven innings because I knew at the end of the game, Mom would replace that sugar with some endless heap of green beans. Occasionally, the kid who had a history of striking out would pull a ball right to me. In my panic and frenzy, I would blow too hard and my masterpiece would splatter all over my face. What a heartbreak to a kid who only knew bubblegum once a week. In that moment, your whole life is smeared across your dirty face (more often than not, the gum would end up right back in my mouth — God made dirt; dirt don’t hurt.)
As a college student, my watermelon-flavored “bubbles” are still getting popped — this time by the dozens of new concepts and ideas lobbed at me each day at California Baptist University.
Literally, I cannot count how many times these past couple weeks of the new school year that I’ve sat in whatever class, in whatever seat, thinking, “Seriously? I now have bubblegum smeared across my face from what you just said.”
That precious bubble – my ideas, experiences, and theories – had just shattered by the impact of what Dr. Whatshisname just taught. However, I feel like that is the whole point of higher education. You have roughly 18-20 years of life experiences that develop into ideas and beliefs which you base your life around, and then wham a guy with a myriad of doctorate degrees uncovers the whole truth of an idea you had never heard or experienced before. You’re left completely and utterly confused.
Because I am stubborn and I like to think I’m right (although, my boyfriend and best friend suggest otherwise), I usually sit with my arms crossed and brow furrowed, deep in thought or disagreement. I often leave class just a little more confused than when I entered it.
But how amazing can those moments of complete frustration turn out to be? True intelligence comes at those confusing moments when that bubble bursts and all of our ideas and beliefs are turned on their head by another opinion or option. As long as I am in school, where I can exercise my ideas and thoughts, I will continue to work my skill of bubble-blowing because goodness knows that those bubbles need to be popped to reveal truth and wisdom.
We all know that watermelon bubblegum tastes tenfold better than green beans.
Unless there’s bacon involved. That’s a completely different story.
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