Whimsical’s design presents three large balloon silhouettes, upon which, initially, were the words - - Never. Grow. Up : )

 

It was a ‘whimsical’ message, popular in many quotes, e.g. “Growing old is unavoidable, but never growing up is possible.” (Martin Luther King, Jr.), and, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.” (George Bernard Shaw), and the like. It was a fun, Peter Pan-esque philosophy, “All children, except one, grow up.”

When I acquired Whimsical, in October of 2022, I had the idea to campaign a different, but similarly-purposeful message, that is: Never. Give. Up : )

I’m painfully familiar, as a retired military police veteran, and from a number of other life circumstances, of some who have, given up. Life’s sometimes tough. Veterans, and society in general, struggle mightily with mental and medical health, finances, marital and other relationship issues, and even identity crisis. Too often, negative thoughts persist, pile and spiral out of control, with little-to-no intervention or aid.

Krissy and I had sat down for lunch on a cruise-excursion beach in January of 2023. At the same exact, precise moment-in-time, we were both, startled, each reaching for our phones, wanting to capture a picture to show the other. Behind me, Krissy noticed a lady with a tattoo on her back that read, Never grow up. Behind Krissy, on a rack of souvenir crafts, was a license plate that read, Never give up. Pre-ordained; the moment took our collective breaths away. We could have had lunch elsewhere, sat anywhere, and never have had those stars aligned so well! We knew it was time, and okay to campaign the new message! And, I bought the license plate!

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Never. Give. Up : )

It’s okay to not be okay. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but strength. Asking for help is one of the bravest things you can do. Asking for help means you are not giving up. Offering help can help, too. I’m not a doctor or philosopher; the Internet is full of powerful, positive messages and helpful resources. It’s simply my hope that Whimsical’s new message might help make a difference in someone’s life.