in praise of bubbles

my heart is easily made glad; one of the smallest things that brings me so much delight is when i'm doing the dishes, i will often give the soap bottle a little squeeze, that small puff of air sending tiny bubbles into the air above the sink.  

i enjoy doing the dishes.  i don't have a dishwasher and the act of making suds is a way to slow down and reflect on the day while wiping the counter down to prepare for the day ahead.  

this tiny habit brings me so much joy just to see how long the bubbles will last.

recently i read an article on the history of bubbles.  they didn't start out being associated with child's play.  early in the 16th & 17th centuries, dutch painters popularised bubbles for their symbolism of the fleeting nature of life.  

later newton studied bubbles in terms of the interplay and subtleties of light.

it was during the victorian period in britain when they became light-hearted and made famous by a painting by john everett millais as procured by the firm a & f pears of pears soap fame.  bubbles became associated with the idylls of innocent childhood, pure joy, and a cause to embrace small moments of wonder.

did you know that in the early 2000's a formula was created to help bubbles last up to five minutes?

so even though my bubbles at the sink don't last that long i daresay the joy does.  

what's your favorite memory of bubbles?