My family loves, Bluey. It’s an adorable little cartoon celebrating the simple joys of childhood, with life lessons along the way. I was watching it one day with my kids and this one particular episode resonated with me a bit more than usual. It was one of those stories that you continue to think about later because it does a great job at articulating a universal truth.
In the episode “Daddy Drop Off,” the father, Bandit, was responsible for taking the kids to school. The kids were not cooperating. Bandit had to keep coaxing them to hurry and get ready so as not to be late. All while keeping a sense of humor and childlike playfulness. Throughout the episode the girls continued to test his patience. Creating situations where most parents would lose their temper. The playful banter between parent and kids would have been a good show in itself. However, the real epiphany occurs at the end.
Right as Bandit is dropping off the youngest, Bingo, she requests he pretend to wind her up like a wind-up toy. Already running late after all the antics, Bandit initially refuses. Ultimately he obliges and winds up Bingo who is set on a mechanical path, only to stop short of her destination. At this moment she reaches out to a timid classmate to give her an extra wind up. The child helps her and they begin playing together. There is then a moment after Bluey and Bandit leave the daycare, where she asks, what would have happened if he hadn’t done it? Probably nothing, replies her dad.
The episode ends with a photograph montage of Bingo and the shy classmate growing up together as friends. The lesson here is similar to the butterfly effect, that each little thing we do can have large consequences. But the placement of this little sprinkle of fun in the routine of mundane life is something I think everyone can appreciate.
It can be so easy to get frustrated or have a bad day. But we can also easily turn these things around with a change in mindset. So many of the little things we worry about on a day to day basis will not even be a thought days or weeks later. While the smallest kindness can make a massive impact in someone else’s life. It’s always a welcome reminder to look for ways we can inject positivity and fun into the world.