The Bubble Theory: Why This Moment Is All We Really Have

Dedicated to Herman, whose "Yeah buddy!" reminded me that tough and kind aren't opposites—they're partners.

Picture this: we're all floating bubbles in constant motion, drifting through space and time. Some bubbles merge briefly, creating beautiful, iridescent moments before separating again. Others bounce off each other, leaving tiny impressions that shimmer long after the contact ends.

Four years ago, when I was diagnosed with Grade 4 Glioblastoma and given seven months to live, I started seeing life differently. Suddenly, every interaction felt precious. Every relationship became a bubble worth examining.

Our lives are in constant motion like bubbles floating along, and as we cross paths with others, they often imprint themselves on our lives—becoming friends, spouses, parents, stepparents, coworkers.

Not everyone is meant for the long term. Just like bubbles, some will help us grow while others will try to absorb us into their world.

The Shift

Here's what I've learned about the bubble theory of relationships: grace and gratitude for them and their lessons enhance our lives.

But isn't it funny how we work? Think about how often it is when someone is gone that we find it easy to muster the grace to be grateful for them. The very thing that caused us the most frustration can give us an emotional gut punch because they're no longer there.

Life works this way.

It's quite weird that here we are, all hanging out on this giant rock in space, wondering what the meaning of it all is when it's all alive and well in this moment. We spend so much time analyzing the past bubbles or anticipating future ones that we miss the beautiful collision happening right now.

The H.O.P.E. Algorithm teaches us to approach these bubble moments differently:

Hyper-Aware: Notice the imprint each person leaves on your life

Open-Hearted: Receive their lessons with gratitude, even the difficult ones • Persistent: Keep showing up authentically in each interaction • Empowering: Help others recognize their own bubble's unique beauty

Hope isn't a passive wish—it's a strategy for making the most of every bubble collision.

The Uplift

Our job is to live fully into this moment because it's the only reality we will ever know before it floats away.

When I think about all the bubbles that have touched my life—the tough stepfather who taught me kindness, the doctors who delivered impossible news, the audiences who've heard my story—I realize something profound: the meaning isn't hidden in some cosmic plan.

The meaning is right here. Right now. In this exact moment where you're reading these words and I'm somehow reaching across space and time to connect with you.

Impossible is optional, but presence? Presence is everything.

Stop waiting for the perfect bubble to come along. Stop mourning the ones that have drifted away. The bubble you're in right now—this moment, this breath, this opportunity to choose how you show up—this is where transformation lives.

You're not broken. You're just learning to navigate the beautiful chaos of bubble collisions.

And that's exactly where you're supposed to be.

Ready to make your current bubble count? Start at beyondhopeproject.com.

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Jason Tharp is a keynote speaker, author, and brain cancer survivor known as "The Hope Guy." As founder of the Beyond Hope Project, he champions the overlooked by redefining possibilities through hope, community, and love. Learn more at jasontharp.com.