08/23/2026
I Was Awesome Before I Twisted the First Balloon
Apparently, I was awesome. Which was nice to hear.
Especially since I hadn't twisted a single balloon yet.
I arrived early for a 6-year-old's birthday party on one of those beautiful summer afternoons that was perfect for an outdoor celebration.
The parents were busy turning a park district pavilion into a birthday party.
Decorations were going up.
Tables were being covered.
Food was being organized.
And the birthday girl was doing what many shy six-year-olds do when someone new shows up at their party.
She kept her distance at first, watching me carefully and trying to figure out exactly who this balloon guy was.
As I checked my supplies and talked with her a little, she slowly started warming up to me.
Everything was going smoothly.
Except for Grandpa.
Grandpa was having a problem.
The lightweight plastic tablecloths kept trying to leave the party.
Every time a gentle summer breeze came through the pavilion, one side would lift up.
Grandpa would fix it.
Then another corner would start flapping.
He would fix that.
Then another side would come loose.
Eventually, I heard him say he needed more duct tape.
Now, after more than 30 years of working with balloons, you start looking at certain problems a little differently.
I looked at Grandpa.
I looked at the tablecloth.
Then I looked at my balloon bag.
I knew exactly what to do.
I grabbed a couple of scrap balloons from the bottom of my bag, tied them together and made one large elastic band.
With Grandpa's help, we stretched it around the table.
The tablecloth pulled tight.
No more flapping.
No more chasing corners.
No more duct tape.
Grandpa looked at the table.
Then he looked at me.
"You're awesome."
I'll take it.
I hadn't made a dog.
I hadn't made a flower.
I hadn't even twisted the first balloon for the birthday party.
All I did was keep a plastic tablecloth from blowing away.
But in Grandpa's eyes...
I was awesome.
