254 thoughts on “Dear Diary”

1. I would read everything this guy writes, he is an absolute master. What a great, great story and so relatable of what goes on in life and how we walk away from things or just pack them away. It’s revealing to see and sense the changes that happened not only in this story but in our lives as we ‘grow’ from being a child to a teenager to a young adult and up. What stands firm through all of this is that no matter where we go or how long it is since we have seen our balloon it is all still there, ever so patiently waiting for us to return. The article is also symbolic in this way, we move, we walk away and it is only when we return that we see the fact of this.

2. Such a great story Joel! Reading the progression of what happens to most of us that hide our ourselves along the way. A real reminder that it’s safe to let our light shine bright and no one will combust because of it.

3. This blog has also reminded me of a gorgeous French film called The Red Balloon I saw as a child. I’ve just searched for it… it’s still out there for anyone who is interested.

4. Very touching, Joel. A beautiful analogy for the ever-present possibility that we can return to the love and joy we innately and always are.

5. Just wondering Joel, will there be a book one day of all your gorgeous parables and sharings?

6. Joel, your blogs are so gorgeous to read, I always look forward to them. I am returning to live from my delicateness so loved what you shared here.

7. This brought tears to my eyes. Beautiful Joel, you have expressed so much here and I know so many of us can relate.

8. The bright shiny balloon is a wonderful image of our preciousness as children and one that we need not pack away and hide.

9. Gosh the essence of a child and the tenderness of a man is deeply felt in this blog. It makes me aware that everyone is the same no matter what they put out and choose to do. Everyone has a wonderful balloon inside but they have hidden it away and what we are dealing with is the end result of a world without our balloons

10. I loved reading this blog Joel, my daughter has always spoken about her balloon as a way to express her feelings especially going to school. She will be aware of the size of her balloon and if it shrinks throughout the day. Such beautiful and playful imagery to share that can support us to constantly expand and grow.

11. I love this story/ modern day parable! Thank you Joel for reminding us all that no matter how much we may have shunned or buried our balloon (essence or soul) it is eternally there waiting for us to re-connect with it…

12. We may be the only one around who is letting their balloon be seen by others – breathing life into it and expanding it with every loving choice. If this is so then so be it. Once others see it they’ll remember they have one too – some may even be inspired to go and find it and starting blowing it up again.

13. Every single conscious breath fills that balloon, and re-ignites the fire of love and connection within us all.

14. What if from young we were helped to understand and expect that some people will want to pop our baloon. To know that it is only because of the pain of having put their own baloon away and that it is not personal. And to be supported to find our own way of dealing with this without being phased. Thank goodness that many parents who have gained this insight are offering their children such fundamental support..

15. Beautifully expressed Joel. Being full of ourselves has had some ‘bad press’ because it is seen as arrogant and self-obsessed/possessed. There is for sure a reinterpretation of self-love that does bring this out in some people – but there is also a truth in loving ourselves and being claimed and honoured that is in my experience so very healthy. In fact is it the only true way to being the love that we are in life and reflecting it back to others.

    1. Spot on Richard. And the infectious nature of expressing this level of love is beautifully shown in the story “as I shared mine, they went and got theirs…” So often in life everyone is just waiting for someone to start the ball rolling and lead the way.

16. I love your story telling Joel, enjoyable to read with a message so true. A celebration is in order… so we will need a lot more of expanded balloons… thanks heaven we all have one.

17. Stunning as always Joel, you are the maestro of metaphors. Thank God for us that you chose to connect back to what has been with you always and as such bless us with its beauty.

18. Has this been made into a children’s book yet, Joel? You really have this beautiful gift of making a most profound truth into a very accessible, relatable, light and fun story that touches and echoes into our hearts so deeply. Please, do not ever stop writing.

19. Incredible and very symbolistic way of showing that we have this inner balloon , and we can or stay comfortable just by knowing that it is there , unrevealed, or choose to let it out and enjoy its way! So symbolic, but actually a true true support for all to read. Thank you Joel.

20. What a beautiful bedtime story Joel – sweet dreams are on their way before my head even touches the pillow!

21. I loved your blog Joel it brought tears to my eyes for this is what i did with my heart long ago, wrapped it up and hid it away. These day I am bringing it out for this is the true me to bring to the world, shining out for others to shine also.

22. We may think we have to hide our balloons because they may fail us however that is only the perception we use to put them away. The balloons never failed we convinced ourselves otherwise.

23. Our balloons never burst or fly away, but sometimes we pack them away so far that we think that they have. But they are waiting for us to remember them and when we do we will know that they never left us at all.. ever.

24. It is easy to allow comfort to creep in when we finally realise the beauty of life we could live when our balloons are nearby once more. But the beauty doesn’t stop there, why not keep going and experience the wonder of connection within and with all?

25. I’m sure this blog sparks inspiration and Love in everyone’s hearts – something we can all relate to. I loved the bit where each family member went to get their balloons as well and it reminded me that we are all in this together. Anyone I think has hurt me or acted in dismissiveness, jealousy or deceit, has also got a balloon – an inner essence of purity, truth and love that they may have said a temporary good bye to long ago and have been trying to protect it ever since. This blog is an outstanding metaphor for life.

26. So beautiful to re-read Joel. “The real joy, the real beauty, is not from knowing where it is but from having it blown up and on display…” Yet as we grow up most of us learn to hide our beauty and joy. But it is always there, waiting to be uncovered and to shine once again.

27. A delightful and powerful story of how as children we close down the joy of who we are and the choice we can all make to reclaim our joy and share it with others to inspire them to allow their joy and love to shine. Definitely a children’s book that will say more to the adult reading it than the child listening.

28. I loved reading this and can see it easily as a children’s book (or adults!). Thank you Joel.

29. Oh I love this, I could feel so many of the steps with the balloon. Isn’t it interesting that symbolically we all know exactly the feeling you are describing and how it’s delicateness is synonymous with our delicateness.

    1. Indeed Lucy, it has been lovely to see so many people comment that the story matches their own experiences. It makes it seem crazy to some degree we are all doing similar things (the opposite of what we actually want)

30. You’ve really enraptured a massive truth here – that life is pre-designed to crush us but no matter how severe that crushing the wonder of who we are never ever ever disappears.

31. I very much appreciate the way you use analogies to express a message Joel. This blog of the balloon and your diary is another that I can totally relate to.

32. I love this monicag2… ” that connection is always there, we just need to dust it off and nurture it.” …so very true…it is all always there.

33. The best part is that it is not a fairy tale at all but my life and that there was no prince that came to save me, other than the choices I made…which means the longevity of my happily ever after remains firmly in my hands.

34. This is a greta insight Vanessa, checking in at the start and the end of the day, rather than bringing a consistent awareness through out the day. Its like we check our harness and stripes before diving in and then see what came loose at the end…such a belief that we will have to interact in the way the world is asking us to…

35. I just read your latest comment and could only reply here… I had to share how much I love this line… “Delicacy is infused with the strength of the Ages” … so true, as is your widsom…

    1. Love it Rachel, the power of inspiration comes from a collective approach to exploring life and its living way.

36. One of the greatest evolutions of all for humanity will be live in a way that nurtures our delicacy and then by the very nature of reflection, our children would then be able to have this beautiful path of return laid out in front of them.

    1. Yes Joel, and the extraordinary thing is, is that this generation now is upon us, and there are some amongst us who will be raising the children with this awareness, and they shall bring so much more light to the world just by their being.

37. This blog made my day!

38. Rachel and Joel – talk about ‘beauty beyond compare’! I can feel my inner balloon expanding just through feeling and reading your words. I am feeling inspired to make sure I take regular moments throughout my day to make sure I’m not letting any air escape while also taking the time to add a couple more puffs in there to help it keep growing bigger :).

    1. Your comment brought me back to this blog, to read it again and feel the poignancy of each diary entry. I can relate to everyone of them, substituting “studying hard” for “sport”. Are they so different from each other? I would say not, given that neither one of them wants anything to do with the precious balloon, nor values it highly.
       Today’s reading highlighted this entry especially: “I had been keeping my box with the balloon in it to myself for a while now, my wife wanted to see it and so did the kids, but it didn’t feel right to share it – what if they laugh?”. This one hit home (beautifully of course). Having been mocked, we fear its repeat performance. That is why we learn to hide the sacred parts of us…the delicate parts that are so precious to us. How do we survive their ridicule?
       The interesting thing that I have discovered is the more I become one with this balloon, the more I fill it, feature it, hold it sacred above all else…..the less I am affected by others’ discontent and disapproval of it. Yes it is awful to witness, but it cannot affect the balloon, the breath I breathe into it, nor me.
       We start to learn that delicacy is infused with the strength of the Ages. Never can it be stolen away so easily by any other person. Only we can put it away, for but a time, until we chose its reclamation.

39. What I love about the way you have written this Joel is that it could be read to a 5yr old or someone who is 90yrs old and the understanding and message is the same – Beautiful, thank you Joel

    1. so true ch1956, the lovely thing about story is we each bring ourselves to the character. Not to mention the fact we all share the same fundamental truth deep down

40. Loved re-reading this Joel, my heart was touched by the truth that we all have this inner beauty, yet we so quickly hide it away. I have still been hiding my balloon, occasionally I have let it out but have quickly taken it away, I thought it was because I was scared of what others might think or how they might react, but truth be told it’s because I have been scared of its magnificence. Crazy but true, your words and those of everyone who has commented have reminded me it is time to stop hiding and let that balloon shine, soar and be seen, because you know what it might just inspire someone else to let their balloon out.

41. yes i agree its much more fun to have it out of the box, for all to see, it actually inspires others to and gets theirs to re-inflate too,
    great analogy Joel, thanks for yet another masterpiece.

42. Oh my God, this is so amazing, thank you Joel for writing this. I am reminded of my balloon, i must say it was not too far away, but just like you Joel I kept it hidden just incase people try to attack it. What I can feel now is that my balloon was never really safe when it was hidden, and I for sure did not feel better from it! So I decided to let out my balloon again, everyone may see it now. I still had times that I did not taken my balloon outside of my home, but I figured this was the exact same effect as putting it in a box. For me it was time to let go of the comfort that kept me driving to keep the balloon in a box. Now this is simply over, my balloon is too big to hide!

43. Thank you Joel for sharing so beautifully – yes we must care for our balloon and re-inflate it tenderly with our breath but never must we hide it from view.

44. So do I, very well written

45. Lovely reading this again. Not only for the description of the staged journey in our reconnection to our very own balloon, but also for the reminder of the expansion which it brings not only ourselves but those around us.

46. So true Linda, there is inspiration all around us and most of all among those who are making a conscious choice to connect to the joy that lives and breathes within themselves.

    1. So so true Joel, nothing inspires more than to see so many reclaiming the joy they are.

       1. Thanks Jade, its funny to think that under, hurt, pain, sadness is joy, but it is there waiting…not something to be injected into you or received but rather waiting to be uncovered.

47. What an awesome metaphor Joel. Our essence is always there, it never leaves us?patiently waiting. We always have the choice to reconnect to it…. if we ever leave it.

48. So did I Catherine – we can feel the joy of re-connection but still hesitate about sharing that with those closest to us for fear of rejection and being deflated again.

49. Thank you Joel – here’s to the beauty and expansion of re-filling our balloons and sharing them with others.

50. I love the worlds alchemy and the revelation that comes from simplicity, there is as much blessing in writing them I can assure you.

51. Just a perfect metaphor, mapping beautifully how we hide our true selves away at a young age to take on the ways of the outside world in an attempt to fit in – until we nearly forget ourselves. Meeting others whose balloons are fully inflated and ongoingly expanding, not hidden from public view, is an inspiration to peek back at your own and consider the true possibility that life is far richer, fulfilling and purposeful when lived with your true essence than hidden for safe keeping where it – and therefore we – can get forgotten.

52. Joel, this is so exquisitely beautiful in its’ simplicity and shows us how we move so quickly away from true joy and pile on the layers to stop us feeling that!

53. This blog is so amazing Joel. It shows how our reality often is nothing more than what we make up with our minds. Good to know, that we can always connect back to what is true, felt in our bodies.

54. it is a great gift to our children when we allow them to see our delicacy and our vulnerability… it allows the possibility for them to understand that this is okay, we don’t have to harden up as we get older, that it is possible to stay feeling and connected, and what a great experience this is.

55. This is a beautiful analogy Joel with the added bonus of the realisation that when we re-connect back to ourselves as a consequence we naturally re-connect back to others. There is no point leaving our balloon shrunken, deflated and hidden away from sight. By breathing life back into our balloons they expand which cannot but lighten us up. After all, balloons are just like ourselves and are are made to lift and inspire. As a consequence this inspiration allows us to connect to and to energise others to do the same.

56. This is a beautiful analogy Joel with the added bonus of the realisation that when we re-connect back to ourselves as a consequence we naturally re-connect back to others. There is no point leaving our balloon shrunken, deflated and hidden away from sight. By breathing life back into our balloons they expand which cannot but lighten us up. After all, balloons are just like ourselves and are are made to lift and inspire. As a consequence this inspiration allows us to connect to and to energise others to do the same.

57. True joshua, and if it gets a little “dirt” on it, we have the ability to wipe it off and see that the balloon is still beautiful as ever.

    1. And that no matter how many needles we see others carrying round, it is indestructible.

58. This is so beautiful Joel 🙂 I can read it again and again and it is always beautiful – Amazing how You put it all together – so lovely. Thank You. With love Nadine

59. I love this blog Joel. There is a childlike sweetness in this whilst being so relatable and powerful in its message. We all have a beautiful balloon to show. Many of us have hidden it away. I am building the trust that I can step out into the world with it, without hiding or disguising it, just letting its beauty naturally be.

60. Your words are so sweet and playful, but you don’t let us get away with just finding and getting re-united with a balloon. That’s only just the beginning – the real fun starts when we start expressing with it.

    1. So true Fumiyo.
       The expression that comes from the spaciousness and expansiveness… now that’s what inspires us. 🙂

61. This is the key Joshua, we can never lose our true essence and who we really are, but we can certainly have a good go at avoiding it, hiding it away or sometimes burying it! But at the end of the day, it is always there… simply waiting for us to reconnect to it… 🙂

    1. The choice is always there!

62. Yes Joshua, this is true, ‘It is us who choose to put it away and thus everyone misses out from the potential inspiration this would be for them.’, I can feel some sadness that it is us that hide our balloons away because of the reactions that we receive, it is easy to blame others that we cannot be ourselves, but the truth is it is always our choice.

    1. And with that choice one can feel the true responsibility we have and thus the irresponsibility of making the wise choice we knew we could have been making

63. Indeed, a big bunch of balloons all bobbing and intermingling with everyone else’s balloons!

64. This is what touched me today also when reading your gorgeous article Joel. Our balloons are not just for us to connect to they are for everyone to see. How joyous it will be to one day be able to walk into a room full of expanding balloons where no one would ever consider popping someone else’s balloon or deflating theirs, simply the absolute appreciation of what each one offers by being in the fullness of their natural expression. How delightful and sweet. More balloons please! There is plenty of space for us all to live this way.

65. This part Joel ‘I opened the box and felt sad; not because it was destroyed, but because it was still there – perfect and just as I had remembered it.’ Why is it that we pack our balloons away? And the sadness that we feel when we recognise our own balloon and yet never show it or even blow it up is huge.
    But how amazing is it when we do find our balloon and begin to blow it up. Others around us start to feel safe enough to also bring out their balloons to be seen, and to expand also.
    It’s NEVER too late to find that beautiful, precious balloon that is just there underneath all the heavy stuff waiting to be breathed forward.

    1. love it kathrynfortuna and the realisation that with each breath what gets created inside is space. The outside is beautiful and precious but on the inside is space, space to breathe, to feel, to be.

       1. S P A C E. To Breathe. To Feel, To be. Isn’t this what we all desire?

       2. yes….to a point and then flip out at how big we actually are..crazy, crazy dance!

66. Joel, gorgeous to re-read this and feel the joy of rediscovering our balloons, never tucked too far away and always expanding. Balloons that can never be popped. Special balloons!!

67. A beautiful reminder Joel, that although we may hide who we truly are away, eventually there comes a time when we choose to shine and show the world the truth of who we are.

68. An absolutely brilliant way to describe the craziness of the way we allow one another to be crushed by society and squashed into little holes. I love the analogy, it fits perfectly to how we lose the beauty and simplicity we live as little children and which can always be there with us if we choose to be willing to stand out.

69. Joel this blog is exquisite. I was so there with you on the journey from childhood into adulthood and it was incredible to feel what happens to us from the innocence of being a child in delight and wonder, to how we commonly perceive life as adults losing sight of the joy that was innately there from when we were young. The balloon being a great reminder of our joy that is always there should we choose to reconnect with it and let it out.

70. I love this Joel, thank you. Very pertinent to my life for sure.

71. This is how we go about our balloon Joel, It is sad when we decide to put it away while it is so dear to us. We put it away because we think it is so vulnerable to the jealousy other people project to us, but actually it is not vulnerable at all, we can fill it with our breath and it wil expand and expand, becoming more of ourselves every time we give breath to it. Beautifully written.

72. Story time with you Joel brings me to the most powerfully gentle stop. From here I get to feel the depth at which I can connect to the very fact that all along I have had with me my balloon too, and am now feeling a little more confidence to fill it some more, thank you for your extraordinary inspiration to do so.

73. Totally Joshua, these types of balloons can’t be punctured or exploded – so we may as well just enjoy them all of the time. They can wobble, stretch and obviously always expand, but know well that you can’t ever destroy the balloon, not even with a knitting needle.

    1. We only imagine they can explode and this becomes the seeming reality

74. This is really cool Joel. I blow my balloon up each day and every so often I quickly let lots of air out in case I think someone wants to pop-it. But, I’m starting to realise that these balloons we’re talking about are impervious to explosion and punctures. Hearing about your balloon experiences, helps me understand my own balloon experiences and soon enough I reckon I won’t have to deflate my balloon out of fear that I’ll be rejected or the balloon hurt.

75. The Diary showing the phases we go through in life is also a reminder that time does not diminish our Glory … it’s always there if we choose to show our bright shiny balloon!

76. I think you just described my life (and I imagine quite a few others!). Isn’t it gorgeous to be re-connecting to our balloons and blowing them full of us and realising that no matter how much we tuck them away – they remain, waiting for us to return and get blowing! Love this piece of writing, thank you Joel.

    1. I agree Sarah, this is a gorgeous analogy… of the whole world, every single one of us with our special balloon. Joel, your writing is exquisite.

77. Joel, I’ve returned to your touching blog again after spending the weekend with two beautiful children aged 6 and 8, still holding on to their balloons, precious. I love the tender way you trace your journey from expansive free child to not so free man and describe what was lost or given up on the way. Reassuring to know our balloons are never too far away if we choose to look for them.

78. So true Rachel and seeing someone who is still/again carrying their balloon is one of the greatest inspirations we can meet – a truly life-changing one.

79. Absolutely Rachel, I agree, I felt that too.

80. oh my goodness Joel, this is such a fantastic piece of writing, I was hanging on to every word. I love how you express. Thank you for sharing Joel. This is very inspiring.

81. Joel- what a beautiful childhood story- great to be reminded of how beautiful our inner essence is and that it is always there-metaphor for the much loved and precious balloon you described.

82. Joel, I love this blog so much. It touches me deeply every time I read it. The balloon analogy is simply heavenly. The bit today that really struck me was how great it is to have re-connected with myself but it does not end there. It is about sharing that fullness of me with everyone equally knowing full well that they too can choose to re-connect to who they truly are.

83. This is absolute fun and so true. I love how you make the truth of life so simple in an example of a balloon. Actually I find that this example is perfect and actually real. I feel I have a big and beautiful balloon outside of me and I am going to fully let it out now, everyone can see it, this article deeply inspires me. Thank you Joel, forever inspiring blog.

84. So beautiful and deeply profound Joel. Love what you written Joel- it would make a beautiful children’s book indeed.

85. Deeply connecting with this blog and the absolute joy through celebrating bringing my balloon back out. I felt a tension in how I let some air out when I am worried it may burst or be popped and there is greater development in this for me and I suspect other readers as well.

86. gorgeous comment and really beautiful blog written with openness and vulnerability. Aesop’s fabels! Yes I agree this and others you have written should definitely be made into a book for all (not to be hidden away in a box : )

    1. Totally agree Vicky. I was a great fan of the fables, but Joel’s collection is even more precious.

87. The simple analogy of the ‘ balloon ‘ in itself is gorgeous cause it reminds me of the delight a balloon is to a child, as we get older the balloon remain the same but we cover it with layers like a ‘ piñata pig’ and it the represents for example ‘ party time ‘. Once we take away the covering layers the balloon is still lovely, bright and full!

88. Joel, you have told the story of everyone growing up. Everyone has done this some before age six; some used study or something else instead of sport. The saddest diary entry is the second, to feel your own love and shut it down because it makes people uncomfortable. Our biggest sin is to deny that we are divine. Our second one is to reinforce a world where people do not feel safe to shine. Showing yourself makes people uncomfortable for a little while; ultimately they want permission to do the same. This is what Serge has done.

    1. Lovely comments Bernard, I agree that this is not just my story, but could apply to all of us.

89. Joel I absolutely love the way you see things. The real beauty really does lie in just being ourselves, showing people who we are, taking away the facades, not being afraid to say what we really feel, not contorting to fit a picture, what more could we really want deep down than to be loved for who we really are? Beautiful blog, will read it many times.

90. Such a lovely blog about the experience of what we truly are, and how there is always the opportunity to expand and enjoy the way our Balloons are. And they are surely not to be kept in a box!

91. What I loved about this part was that the wife and kids wanted to see the balloon. They knew there was a balloon and that they were missing out on something. The offered support is bringing the balloon out.

92. It is much more fun to have my balloon out of the box. Sometimes it’s still hard not to want to put it back in the box when others come along who want to pop it or who make fun of the colours or try to play the game that their balloon is better. But the more I keep the balloon out the harder it is to put it back in the box as it really feels terrible when the balloon is in a box.

93. Absolutely beautiful Joel. I, as I’m sure my others do, can relate so well to way you have so playfully and eloquently described something very common. It takes the judgement out of why we may have hidden ourselves and at times feel like we have lost ourselves. Hugely inspiring – thank you.

94. SO beautiful and deeply touching and so true.

95. Deeply truth filled and deeply moving. And yes a wonderful children’s book!!! For all ages.

96. Tears of joy from your touching diary entries Joel – your writing is straight from heaven. Absolute favorite entry is “Guess what, it turns out my balloon was harder to lose than I thought.” “I opened the box and felt sad; not because it was destroyed, but because it was still there – perfect and just as I had remembered it.” So much explained in so simple a tale. Pure Gold.

97. I can read this over and over – I have a big balloon – I rush around with it some days and let go of it in the process – too busy to see that it’s floated off into the clouds. Other days I walk quite steadily and hold my balloon out for all to see letting the glow of it shine in everyone’s eyes and I watch them start wondering where they had put their own balloons, where did they leave it or let it go. I walk steadily as they walk off looking for themselves.
    Some days ( these are few and far between nowadays fortunately ) I leave my balloon in the cupboard under the stairs – I can’t be bothered to get it out – it feels all too hard.
    The thing is when I do this I get to the end of the day or hour and I miss my balloon and then I get to feel how much I miss walking with it so that others get to feel that they have a balloon somewhere too.
    I am practicing every day to keep my balloon lovely, colourful and glowing – my dear friend Serge Benhayon has a balloon that inspires me to look after mine more and more each day. We all need to show another how much they can in fact we all can benefit from loving our balloons.

    1. Beautifully expressed Lee, an inspiration to read.

98. Joel, as ever, you do it again. What a great analogy and what beautiful and relatable diary entries. Reading them as such it is easy to see how we come to lose ourselves and what really drives our choices. The harsh reality of self-compromise and fitting in with others.

99. wow Joel, thank you for another delightful parable I would love to see in a picture book for all ages.

100. Wow my body lights up with the profound truth and simplicity of this blog. A parable of truth for all.

101. I agree Simon, it feels like a childlike excitement to know that everyone has been hiding their beautiful balloons, and that we all feel the vulnerability.

102. I love the colour of your balloon, it’s really beautiful.

103. I keep coming back to this lovely blog. A great reminder to re-inflate my balloon after a small set-back this week!

104. Reading your blog Joel, I felt the preciousness and exquisiteness of my self as a child, only a distant and faint memory, but clearly there. And I felt encouraged to rekindle the connection to who I really am and let go of all the roles and protections I have fabricated in my adult life.

105. Beautifully said Monica.

106. This is so beautiful Joel, so deeply touching, it brought me to tears as I remembered putting my own balloon away, I also kept it safe and am now remembering to breathe into it, allowing it to expand and shine the magnificent colours that it is.

107. I am sitting here absolutely ‘gob-smacked’ at the sheer beauty, intimacy and simplicity of your writing Joel. It’s difficult to describe the profound effect I feel other than I am deeply touched. Heartfelt thanks.

108. Oh my God, Joel, again a super story you wrote! I know I read it a while ago, but somehow I found it today again. I forgot about the balloon… but I have it too, here right next to me on a cord joyfully floating in the air and smiling at me: ‘Do you think I will ever go away?’ For those who need an answer here: ‘No, never.’

109. Gorgeous Joel thank you, a deeply touching analogy because it is so true…

110. Thank you Joel for a deeply symbolic representation of you returning back to you! I could relate to this being quite a Universal Issue, the first part anyway. It is so evil that we constantly compromise around others.

111. Joel, you did it again! Your expression is so deeply touching, so intensly and tenderly reminding of a selfmade row of choices. Your adress a truth that’s unbelievably solid to feel in my bodys response to it. Thank you🎈

112. This is such a beautiful symbol, Joel. Realizing that all our fears and angst are nothing but made up by ourselves and showing more and more of who we really are and by that constantly growing and expanding.

113. Joel, this blog is absolutely timeless of course and so inspiring; inspiring us to hold on to our balloon, not let anybody stop us from keeping it and showing it.

114. I just discovered this blog and it brought me to tears Joel…. What an amazing story, I am speachless at the moment. THANK YOU * This should be a little comic oder movie…

     1. I agree. Call Disney, we have a short film that is actually worth making!

     2. This would make a great short comic or even a kids story….???

        1. Yes, Nikki, it would make a great children’s story – for children of all ages!

115. What can I add Joel, this is gorgeous. I will keep filling my balloon with joy knowing we are in this together and that all our balloons are full of beauty, different but equally beautiful.

116. You make it so easy to understand and feel what we have ‘lost’, yet what was always there waiting to be found. Hartanne60 (above) commented: “Joel I love how you simply express the grandest truth” – I so agree.

117. I agree hartanne60 and it is written is such a glorius and playfull way.

118. I loved reading this blog again Joel, it nearly brought me to tears feeling my own sadness of locking away my balloon for so many years. What a beautiful reminder that the balloon is always with us no matter what and the joy we feel when we allow it to be expanded and take this amazingness out to the world.

119. An evenly paced return to the love expanding within. I love this Joel thank you.

120. Indeed, hartanne60, Joel is an awesome and hugely inspiring writer … and it seems is a great reflection to you, as you too have captured so much in your simply expressed statement.

121. Joel, I really loved your sharing. I so related to the reason you hid your balloon away, and the surprise you had to find that it was still there all intact. It just goes to show that what ever we do to distance ourselves from our balloon, it’s still there hidden right under our nose.

122. Thank you Joel for a deeply inspiring blog , it brought me to tears, knowing that I too have shut my beautiful balloon away for so long, but I am joyful at finding it again and knowing with every breath more of my balloon is expanding, coming out to be seen in all it’s beauty.

123. Joel, once again your writing moved me deeply. It touched on my own sadness of choosing to pack away my own balloon and how devestating that was for me, nothing could take its place and gosh I did try to find something believe me but nothing did. I now claim my ballon no longer in fear of rejection if someone doesn’t like it. I love it, its everything I have, its me.

124. Joel you write so beautifully, love it. You should publish a book with you short stories about life, so amazing. I love the ballon story it shows us all the the beauty inside never goes away, that it cannot even be damaged or changed, it just is what it is – LOVE.

     1. Well said Rachel, I love Joel’s story about the balloon – the beauty, the love has never gone, it just was buried under all that Joel was not, but thought he had to become to ‘fit in’. And we all do it, until somebody comes and reminds us that it’s not actually true that we need to let go of our love and tenderness to ‘make it’ in this world.

125. Such a gorgeous blog. I read it to a friend this morning. We enjoyed it so much. It definitely needs to be shared.

126. Just gorgeous Joel. I actually had a tear in my eye for the little guy who hid his light to fit into the world and how mainstream just pushes us in that direction. How wonderful that our inner light never diminishes, never fades, just waits patiently for us to reconnect to and live outwardly who we truly are. Brilliant writing.

127. This is so gorgeous Joel, I love it and I loved feeling and seeing your bright beautiful balloon. And it’s reminding me of my own also once hidden away in a cupboard not wanting anyone to laugh or ridicule something so lovely and precious… Slowly and maybe not so slowly I’m now letting it come out on display for all to see and go wow… and to then remember that they too have a ballon just as beautiful that they’ve been hiding away too. 🙂

128. Dear Joel, I shall print this out and stick it on my front door; anyone who comes to my house can read this and then go and find where their balloon has been hidden. I think to this should be on the back of toilet doors in cinemas, shops, public loos everywhere, so people can ponder their own balloon story.
     As with many other comments shared, I felt sad reading this, because the demise from sweet, gorgeous little Joel should never have had to happen. I can insert my name here too, and many billions of others. One by one we are finding AND blowing up our balloons, and together, as one giant group we will float onwards and upwards and out of here.

129. Our balloons are indestructible. Within all of us exists these wonderful balloons, like when Superman rips open his shirt to say ‘here I am’, it never goes away.

130. I love the playfulness of your blog Joel, it is such a great analogy of how most of us have lived our life.

131. Gorgeous Joel thank you for sharing.

132. This is so awesome Joel, I felt such playfulness and laughed out loud in parts and at the same time could feel such sadness in feeling how I packed away my own balloon all those years ago too. Your words are so simple yet so profound, and I feel inspired to keep bringing my balloon out into the world no matter how people might look or want to pop it!

133. Joel, this is a very beautiful analogy of our essence we learn to leave behind. And I love how you share in the opening of the box after so many years that it remained perfect – so true.

134. Joel, this is such a beautiful blog/story, I have tears in my eyes. I put my balloon away a long while back, when I was very very young. I love your words “The real joy, the real beauty, is not from knowing where it is but from having it blown up and on display”. Joel, I am also now in the process of blowing my beautiful balloon up and slowly putting it on display. Still a work in progress, it is getting bigger and more beautiful every day, but the day is coming, closer and closer, when it will be fully out there for all to see – wot ho!
     How beautiful the day will be when we all have our gorgeous balloons out on display! How joyful the whole world will then be.

135. Dear Joel, thank you for sharing your joy and tenderness at finding your balloon again, it made me smile, and connect to the simplicity of love. I don’t have to go anywhere, do anything, it’s all there, everything I am looking for, inside of me – and has been since the day one, nothing makes me feel more content than being with me. All these thoughts and woes just disappear, and all that is left is joy, love, simplicity and clarity.

136. Reading this I was reminded of the magical moment at hot air balloon festivals when the anchoring ropes are released and the balloons soar up gracefully without restraint to be seen in full.

137. Joel. What a tale. What a man. What a balloon!
     So glad you share you with us.

138. This is such a beautiful story. I too packed up my balloon and hid it away however I’m just starting to blow it back up again.

139. There is indeed a joy to experience when we go back out into the world with the love that we are – this is something I am gradually accepting. And like the story I feel I am at the point, when knowing that who I am is always with me isn’t enough, and that sharing it with others is actually more natural than keeping it and others away.

140. Joel – this would make a brilliant illustrated book – one that young and old can relate to – i will certainly share this with my brood. Everyday making my balloon my normal. Thank-you.

141. I absolutely love how you write Joel. Your balloon analogy has filled me with joy.. and I’ve blown my own balloon up a bit more too!

142. Joel I had a very sad feeling and tears running from the very beginning as I could sense what was coming. But the ending is beautiful and you recovered your balloon and your breath and will never stop expanding.

143. What a beautiful blog Joel. I could feel the tenderness in what you wrote. and can relate to the story, Thank you

144. This should be an illustrated children’s book Joel.
     Our beauty is far too great to be kept in a box…
     Thank you for this touching piece.

     1. Agree, Kylie, there has to be a beautiful children’s book to come from all the wonderful stories Joel has written. I’m sure it will be there ready for me in my next life, with my next round of children. What a beautiful book it will be.

145. Great metaphor Joel, I can truly relate to hiding my beautiful colourful balloon afraid of how people would react. But now I am too filling it with my breath, letting in more air day by day.

146. Joel your beautifully playful blog just reminds me that our deep tenderness and love is always a part of us. It can never be erased, destroyed or replaced. Thank you this is wonderful.

147. I love your blog Joel. We were all beautiful, innocent and tender children once and as we went out into the big cruel world, we had to become hard and cruel to survive, or so we were taught at school. It’s wonderful that we can go back to those innocent and tender childhood days and change our lives and be like that, Now!

148. What a gorgeous story Joel, I also loved the part about the comfort of just knowing where the balloon is. We can easily get stuck there. I have been blowing up my ballon but at times it gets so big it scares me and I deflate it a bit again…but I am learning how immensely painful and tiresome this actually is. So I will keep this image of this huge balloon that can grow and grow for everyone to see!

149. What a beautiful blog Joel, it is amazing to rediscover this new balloon. And it supports us walking through live, what a pity we have put it away for so long!

150. I love your stories Joel. They remind me of past times, when stories with depth and wisdom were shared in families and communities.

     1. Yes Fiona I agree – now these kind of stories are also packed in an other type of box because nowadays people are not really interested in them anymore. Instead you can read stories in newspapers or magazines which have not the same quality – actually sometimes some of these stories are full of lies . . . what does this say about our living quality????

151. I so love your analogy Joel. It touched me deeply. My whole life flashed in front of me as I read your words. I can remember how full of myself I was in my early childhood. Then as I grew up that faded as I tried to fit in and be accepted in life. Re-connecting back to myself with the support of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine I am learning to bring all of me to the world once again.

152. I once had a friend describe to me that they knowingly packed a part of themselves away in a box when they were very young. Joel you have described exactly what they were sharing they had felt had happened to them.

153. So tender and so gorgeous and so relatable. There is a book in this with beautiful pictures. Dear Diary. Today someone was sharing about how stunning and beautiful their balloon was, it was not perfect but it was so light and colourful and just shone like the sun. I could feel the love they had for their balloon and wondered about my own balloon. Sometimes my balloon is there for all to see and sometimes it’s not. I feel very inspired by those who always display their balloons and allow it to be fully inflated without any worries about it bursting, allowing it to shine. And thank full for those who are honest about where there balloons are and are working playfully to display their balloons as often as they can. Thank you Joel.

154. So sweet….Me and my balloon will be out there in full color today! Thank you Joel, your blogs always touch me very deeply.

155. such a sweet blog… I love it. I love the way you have made the man change as he grows from boy – teenager – adult, the way he is speaking is so much like what really happens throughout the changes in life. So well written Joel, I love your blogs!

156. I loved reading this story Joel, and how we hide away from showing the world who we really are. The balloon is a beautiful analogy and how we can play small or truly be in our fullness – the choice is ours.

157. Beautiful blog Joel, it so well describes what most of us go through – put our true selves aside to just get on with it…..but we always can choose to re-connect to the love and tenderness we all are, it never goes away.

     1. Yes Esther, it’s the anology that the balloon represents our true selves (or inner heart) that I’m sure most of us can relate to – in keeping parts to ourselves, hiding parts away and then make a reconnection to ourselves etc. in truth our true self never leaves us and is never separate from us and hence finding this is always within…

158. It is such a cute way to express how we leave the fullness of us. As Leonne so rightly said, it is indestructible, so why hide it!

159. I recognise this story : )

160. When we let go of our balloons (love and joy), in reaction to others, we become less and as we become less, the world does too. Love and joy are forever with us. All we are called to do is breathe gently and re-connect to our expansive and beautiful selves.

     1. Love how you show how easy it is to come back to our balloons, “breathe gently and re-connect to our expansive and beautiful selves”.

161. Such a beautiful account Joel of what we all do as children and I love how simple and clear you guide the reader through the years of what happens to us in order to ‘fit in’, through the medium of dear diary. Love it.

162. Such a beautiful blog Joel which brought a tear to my eye as well because I remember too the moment as a child when I decided to deflate my ballon and put it away thinking it was the best thing to do for everyone. So gorgeous when you describe the moment when you decided to let your family in to see all of you again for the first time and that they loved you all the more for it.

163. I love this analogy Joel, you paint a very true picture. It made me wonder about my balloon…I too had tucked it away about the same age. I re-discovered it in my 20s, but made the mistake of filling it with helium. It didn’t feel right at the time but everyone else was doing it and their balloons looked so big and bright and shiny, they really dazzled me. But I found that it is very difficult to walk holding onto a gi-normous helium balloon! So recently, I let the helium out and now I join you filling my balloon up with my own breath –bit by bit, both feet on the ground. I feel enormous.

     1. He he…love the reference about helium. Gosh I did that too – make it all bright and shiny and no-one will ever know the difference that it’s not real. Gorgeous blog Joel, sad to read in ways because I know I put my balloon away for many many years but it is so deeply inspiring and very cool that so many of us are deciding to bring their balloons out and fill them with our own breath and our own amazingness.

164. Joel I am always in awe of your writing and the way it captivates and holds me through any story you so beautifully tell and this one is just so deeply gorgeous, it brought tears to my eyes. You are a true master of showing us the truth, the love, the humour and the wisdom that comes from reconnecting and expressing with your balloon firmly in hand.

165. Super beautiful Joel. I had little tears well up…You have captured what many people go through with life. It was sad to read the second entry but that is exactly what happens…My big beautiful balloons was away in the box too. It was super cute to read about your wife and kids wanting to see the balloon and how they weren’t surprised when they saw it.. Just shows that even though we try to hide we simply can’t.. Everyone can see how awesome we are anyway.

     1. Well said Emily: “Just shows that even though we try to hide we simply can’t.. Everyone can see how awesome we are anyway”. We can often be our worst critics and so even when we receive a loving compliment due to the way we may have been living it can be so easy to brush it off and not actually receive the love that is on offer.

        1. So true James

        2. So True Emily and James. We often don’t see the gorgeousness of ourselves even though it is so obvious.

166. What a truly gorgeous way to show how we have shut down precious parts of ourselves and hidden them so others wouldn’t be jealous. That man you met who was blowing up his own balloon so that others could get theirs out again, how awesome is he! When everyone goes and finds their balloons and keeps breathing gently into them the world will feel amazing.

     1. Time to blow up our balloons as well and let the ripple effect gently turn the world around.

167. Joel it is so clear the world is meant to be filled to exploding with the most beautiful and vivacious balloons. These balloons are equally delicate and strong, in fact they are indestructable. We are so afraid they will be destroyed when this is not actually possible – they can only be hidden. How crazy it is that we keep the expression of of love and joy to ourselves.

     1. Beautifully said Leonne.

     2. Yep, Leonne and Joel, I agree, we have so much to share that we keep for ourselves or we have altered out of fear of destruction and jealousy.

168. Joel, I love this, my balloon is up again too, though for a while there have been parts of my life where I hide it, or sometimes leave it at home for the day. Time to show it off to the world again, everyone deserves to share the joy of my balloon.

     1. I’v found my balloon too, Leighstrack. And guess what? its heart shaped!

169. Connecting with our own hearts is something that we can do any time any place. With each breath we had the opportunity to feel our gentleness, Tenderness, and who we truly are. This never goes, it will always be there.

170. Wow, A-mazing. Just what I needed to read today. I’ve saved it to my reading list, thanks Joel.

171. Wow Joel, I loved this, I had tears flowing when you rediscovered your balloon and felt how I too have kept my balloon packed and hidden from view. I feel inspired to bring it out, blow it up, let it soar and appreciate it for it’s unwavering love. With deep thanks and heartfelt appreciation for your expression.

172. Super beautiful, I very much enjoyed your story Joel. So simple.

173. Wow! Amazing blog Joel, I’ll buy your books any day. And it’s just reminded me to keep blowing up my balloon and not try and hide it under my shirt while I’m out in public!

174. Wow Joel, this one went straight into my heart and touched it deeply. What a powerful story…

175. This is lovely Joel – thank you . I feel the touch of how we breathe life in and out of who we truly are.

176. Absolutely beautiful Joel, thank you

177. I loved re-reading this Joel, I had a big smile on my face the whole time.

178. Your balloon awesome metaphor Joel, loved it.

179. How lovely, this just goes to show it doesn’t matter how far we have strayed from who we are or how lost we feel or that we believe we will never find what we are looking for to make us feel complete; or that we have to seek something special outside of ourselves. It’s a choice to dig down to the very heart of who we are, breathe our own breath and live that for all to see. As once you let people see you for who you are they smile and say of course I’ve known you all along.

180. Such a special, joyful and heartfelt blog. I was very touched by the quote “After some coaxing, I opened the box and showed them… they didn’t blink – of course that’s you, they said. And as I shared mine, they went and got theirs… turns out my kids hadn’t packed theirs away too far.” When people say “of course thats you”…I have felt this and experienced these moments, profound and very truthful. Thank you.

181. So beautiful and deeply joyful, thank you Joel.

182. Joy, tenderness and a tear… Thank God for men such as you Joel, who have re-found and rekindled the tenderness within.
     A poignant reminder that it always remains.

183. So true Joel, the metaphor you used was perfect; simple but it completely sums up the way that our light is tampered with as our lives go on.

184. Dear Joel, now who could not connect or relate to this beautiful metaphor? Thank you for the magical way you weave universal truth into the most simple and basic experiences of life.

185. Wow. Gosh. That is glorious Joel That is wondrous!

186. Thank you Joel for a heart felt sharing that brought my tears to me, I will keep blowing my balloon up and reflecting back to your story.

187. I loved this from start to finish. Sometimes I find metaphors too complicated but this one is lovely and simple but profound. Thank you Joel

188. Joel I loved this blog. A beautiful way to express a very profound issue. It brought a tear to my eye as I related to how I missed my balloon that I’d packed away a long time ago, however with the support of Serge Benhayon, the esoteric practitioners and the teachings of Universal Medicine, I’m with you on the last paragraph and it’s joyful.

189. I feel deeply touched by these beautiful diary entries. 😊

190. Dear Diary, this brings tears to my eyes and my whole body just drops a hardness it is holding. As always Joel you have such an incredible way of allowing people to relate and re-connect to their inner-heart and way of naturally being through your words. I love all the parables that you share, so deeply beautiful, felt and such joy to be shared – thank you. I’m going to gently blow up my balloon full for the whole word to see — by the way it is absolutely huge and so so amazing!

191. Joel, your playfullness invites us all to celebrate ourselves! I so enjoy your expression. Thank you.

192. Oh fantastic Joel. I could feel the difference in the writing when connected with your balloon. I can relate to burying the balloon to just having it there, but now I agree with letting it expand and sharing. It’s the ONLY way.

193. How wonderful to feel the joy in your blog, thank you Joel.

194. Joel this is awesome. Like you I’ve unpacked my balloon and have been rediscovering the joy of having it in my life. But I realise I’ve still been a little hesitant to see how big it can be and to take it out in the world all the time.

     I was also inspired to share this with my son who is just about to turn 7 and is really starting to feel the tension between holding on to his balloon or packing it away. I read each diary entry in turn and then asked what it meant to him. He got it, he could see how we often make choices based on what other people think and do rather than treasuring our own feelings first. He talked about the pressure at school. He knew exactly who the man with the balloon was. So thank you Joel for writing a simple yet powerful parable for all ages.

195. Truly inspirational as always Joel. Thank you. 🙂

196. This is beautiful Joel!!! I really appreciate how you have written this. I’m off to see how full my balloon is and to get a sense of whether it is hot air or gentle air I have been filling it up with today! And to share this beautiful analogy with my daughter. Love it!!

197. These moved me very deeply… and a light hearted way to share such a deep point. Thank You!

198. This is so delightful to read, a magical description of life and our gorgeous inner expression. I can so imagine cartoon visuals for this, my balloon is sat upright, joyful and bright in response to your balloon, and in anticipation of all those other balloons that will be coming out to play.

199. Thank you, dear Joel, for reminding me of my balloon. I’m sure mine is around here somewhere… I am sure I have seen it a few times, empty or only partially filled with air. I’m afraid to fill it completely, I guess. Afraid that it will blow up in my face, or afraid people will not like me or my balloon. And that’s a start, I guess… admitting that. Again: thank you, for your healing words.

200. The symbolism of the balloon expresses beautifully what we are all hiding away from ourselves and others. Thanks Joel, I’m touched by this and feeling how we squash our tenderness and fragility.

201. Joel, once again you have written such a beautiful and inspiring piece. So simple and so visual. You have such a wonderful way of writing. I have a lovely vision of some people holding up all different colours and sizes – some sparkly, some shining, some bright and some just a little blown up. How great to wake up to read this. Thank you.

202. Joel, this is so amazing! Thank you for your gift of a balloon.

203. Awesome…

204. Awesome diary entries Joel, love it.

205. Love it, Joel! What a great allegory to describe the cycle most go through to hide who they are, to fit in with general society. It’s definitely time for us to re-discover and re-inflate our own balloons and feel the delight of feeling light again.

206. Gorgeous, thank you Joel.

207. What an awesome blog, it brought out the smile in me, thank you Joel!

208. Thanks so much Joel for sharing your diary with us all, and in your usual eloquent way. It pretty much describes the arc of all our lives which appeared to be ‘going somewhere’.

     Your balloon is so beautiful – it is no fickle hot-air balloon that flies above the land with the potential to ignite and destruct. Rather, its delicious colours – the qualities you bring in your own expression of the oneness – are felt by us all, with the expanding breath bringing us all back home.

209. Love it Joel – what a fantastic expression. 🙂

210. Simply beautiful. I Love your expression Joel. Thank You for showing us all your balloon. I’m just off to bring mine out of the box again. I found it a while back too but I’ve been trying to protect it so keep on putting it away again. Feeling sad about that but also inspired to blow it up and put it out there for all to see and feel.

211. Gosh, that’s beautiful. Tears in my eyes.

212. Dear Joel, what a beautiful blog re balloons – I am so glad you found yours again, I found mine too and blowing it up again has been so much fun! I was sure it had a puncture and could never be blown up again, but it turns out I could seal it over with some love. In fact the more love I give it, the bigger it gets!

213. Dear Joel, you have such a talent for telling a metaphoric story that appears to be about the temporal world but in reality is about the inner life that is lived from our inner heart. Your blogs are very entertaining at the time and I find stay active in my body for a long, long time afterwards. In fact just thinking back I can still recall two other Joel Fables that are still active in me. Thank YOU kind sir for sharing your talent with us all.

     1. Well written Gayle, I couldn’t have put it better myself.

214. And into words exactly what I have felt and been grappling with for a very long time. Thank you Joel for expressing in such a wonderfully clear and playful way. Truly a delight to unpack my own balloon and yes I laughed when you wrote “At times I get nervous it will burst so I let a bit of air out, but it never does, so slowly and slowly I keep filling…”. Those feelings I know very well, what if, too much etc. etc. Amazing how much we monitor our balloon expansion. Love it.

     1. Great point Lee: ‘Amazing how much we monitor our balloon expansion’. It makes me realise that when we surrender to the process there is only ever a deepening and an expansion and never ever the ‘pop’ that we had long braced for.

215. Dear Joel, what a beautiful piece… I have a smile from ear to ear and right across my heart. Thank you.

216. What a brilliant reflection Joel. I’m still smiling with joy! I so love metaphor! Thank you.

Comments are closed.