Miracle Bubbles

There are so many things I love about being at home that I hate to single out one of them. But Happy Hour with my Bana deserves some attention.   As a 95 year old business woman and whiskey drinking poet, I stand to learn a lot from her.

The other day my Bana, who is blind and damn near deaf (her words), made dinner for me which can be a smidge scary.  Turns out her shrimp salad and hash brown is tasty, but her stories are better.  Bana is a story teller extraordinaire and this particular night she was describing 1950’s life in Toledo, Ohio far away from their family while raising 4 kids.  Nothing was going well, and they barely had enough money for food much less new shoes for the children.  My grandfather was out of work and wouldn’t allow her to get a job –that’s how they used to treat women in those days.  The grim story went on for some time and I was searching for positive questions to ask when she paused.  With a dramatic shrug of hunched over shoulders, she nudged her whiskey glass in the air saying “Of course, that’s when we started Miracle Bubbles.”  Then she took a drink.

In case you didn’t know, Miracle Bubbles was a wild success - the kids loved them. Watered down dish detergent packaged with bubble blowing wands was a little piece of genius.  The Bubbles saved my Bana.

While listening, I started thinking …. What would my Miracle Bubble be?

I just read a facebook article on 2012 resolutions that sermonized about the importance of making mistakes.  You know, the whole learning and growing thing.  And I get that.  But romanticizing mistakes is a bit easy for those who have not made enough boo boo’s already or have not made any mistakes at all.  

If it is helpful to experience another year full of bad ideas, I hope they don’t include a repeat of the following Three Biggies:

1.       Getting married

2.       Getting divorced

3.       Pursuing a soulless career in a giant corporation

I realize there are some personal mistakes that are pointless to try and avoid: 

1.       Excessive cheese and wine consumption

2.       Paranoia about my weight and fitness

3.       Losing my wallet

I am a natural for taking life as it comes, but could use a touch of planning, especially for my Miracle Bubble.  I don’t want to make resolutions.  Nor do I want to plan for mistakes.  But I would like to spend more time close to my family and write something that’s published in 2012.

My grandfather sold his stake in Miracle Bubbles less than a year before it was bought for millions.  It wasn’t the jackpot for Bana, but took the family back to Northwest Wisconsin where they eventually acquired an office supply store and my Bana became one of the first successful business women on Main Street. 

One step at a time.



Bana instructing Sophia on how to make the World's Greatest Blueberry Pie.