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I can’t stop thinking about something that happened on the way home from work tonight, so am exorcising it here. An existential thread on balloons 
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I left work this evening a bit broken - it’s been a long week. I happen to get into the elevator with one of our team leads, who was holding an enormous bunch of blue balloons https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎈" title="Balloon" aria-label="Emoji: Balloon"> / 2
He was bringing them home from an office birthday celebration to his wife and daughter. I admired the balloons, and he offered me one to take home. I thought, sure! My baby daughter’s never seen a balloon. Why not? https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎈" title="Balloon" aria-label="Emoji: Balloon"> / 3
I walked to the subway trailing my balloon, and feeling that slightly otherworldly energy that everybody in New York feels at 6pm on a Friday. Like anything could happen. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎈" title="Balloon" aria-label="Emoji: Balloon"> /4
I was also enjoying the strangeness of my usual uniform of boots and enormous black coat, with a giant balloon with a bow on it bobbing along behind me. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎈" title="Balloon" aria-label="Emoji: Balloon"> /5
I headed down onto the C train, chose a carriage that looked like it had seats, and got on with my balloon. On the other side of the carriage door, on the opposite side of the car, was a little girl, about 3-4 years old, and her dad. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎈" title="Balloon" aria-label="Emoji: Balloon"> /6
She saw my balloon, and her face lit up, whispering to her dad and pointing at it. Immediately, I held it out to her and asked if she wanted it. I told her somebody had just given it to me, but I thought it was because they wanted me to give it to her. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎈" title="Balloon" aria-label="Emoji: Balloon"> /7
Her dad asked if it was okay, I assured him that it was, and she edged over to take it, and then beamed at me, and said a very lovely thank you. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎈" title="Balloon" aria-label="Emoji: Balloon"> / 8
They sat back down, and the whole carriage watched this girl’s delight as her dad tied the string around her wrist. Two stops later they got off, she said thank you again, her dad and I smiled at each other, and she very carefully steered her balloon out of the doors. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎈" title="Balloon" aria-label="Emoji: Balloon"> / 9
So the thing I was thinking was this. How often is it that we happen to be in possession of the one thing that will make someone absurdly happy, at a point in time in which we’re able to give that thing freely? Is it rare... https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎈" title="Balloon" aria-label="Emoji: Balloon"> / 10
...or are we all holding balloons of one kind or another all the time, and are just unaware of what we have to give and who might be right in front of us, thrilled to receive? https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎈" title="Balloon" aria-label="Emoji: Balloon"> / 11
This happened to be a very visible and obvious opportunity to make somebody happy: I unexpectedly found myself in front of this tiny person, with something to give that would make her day. As soon as I saw her I knew it was her balloon. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎈" title="Balloon" aria-label="Emoji: Balloon"> / 12
So now I’m wondering what other balloons I might be holding, and who I could give them to, and who they might make happy. And whether all of us are trailing balloons of our own, waiting for the opportunity to give them away. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎈" title="Balloon" aria-label="Emoji: Balloon">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎈" title="Balloon" aria-label="Emoji: Balloon">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎈" title="Balloon" aria-label="Emoji: Balloon">/ end
