by Cindy Walker Burton
I was out on my daily walk recently on a sunny, very windy afternoon. I saw something small and pink in the distance blowing around erratically, bouncing and skimming over the ground. I thought it was a lightweight ball, the kind a small child would enjoy playing with. The object finally came to rest in the brush, and I went to investigate. Turns out the ball was a pink balloon that was obviously slowly deflating. I picked it up, and since I’m a firm believer in signs, I immediately thought, “What does this mean?” Yes, it was just some random balloon that somehow escaped from a party or a celebration at the park. But I was the person who saw it and found it, and therefore I surmised it was somehow placed in my particular view at that particular point in time for a particular reason.
There’s a name for an association with random objects: pareidolia. Pareidolia is the human tendency to find meaning and significance in random stimuli (like a haphazard balloon for instance). Haven’t you ever seen animal shapes in clouds or in animate objects? A famous case of pareidolia occurred in 1994 when Mary Duyser saw the perceived likeness of the Virgin Mary on her grilled cheese sandwich and later sold it for a whopping $28,000.
No, I didn’t see a face on the pink balloon, (or dollar signs) but I did assign meaning to it. Afterall, I’m a certified nephophile – lover of clouds (and cloud photographer) – and I often see animals and other objects in cloudscapes. When I see wispy clouds that resemble angel wings, I think of my mother. A couple of years ago, I saw a smiley face cloud formation while visiting a cancer memorial garden. I even spied a jellyfish once in cumulonimbus clouds. But I digress.
My personal interpretation of the arbitrary balloon was simple: keep going. In the past when I thought I could not go on, my father would advise me to “Keep on trucking.” My mother would lovingly encourage me with “I believe in you, Cindy.” My daughter’s motivational response was “You can do this, Mom.” My drill instructor would shout emphatically, “You WILL do this for God, your country, and the United States Marine Corps!” My favorite bible verse provided blessed assurance with “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The united overarching message? Keep going.
A wayward balloon ravaged by the unforgiving winds managed to survive the turbulence, tossing, and tumbling. It kept going. Life is sometimes turbulent. It tosses us the unforgiving, the unexpected, and can send us tumbling. Keep going. “Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) Keep going.
