Memories of Bunny Sparkles
By Cecilia Sepp, CAE, ACNP, LPEC
As a news junkie since age 10, I follow the news a little too much – if you aren’t balanced about it, you could easily develop a dark view of the world. As the old saying goes, “If it bleeds, it leads” so if you just read the headlines, you think the world is going to hell – again.
The world environment is tense right now. I say that objectively as I look at international affairs, domestic events, and listen to my friends and colleagues talk about their worries and fears. There are always many concerns in the world and sometimes we feel there is nothing we can do about it. Sometimes we start to believe that we can’t make a difference.
Yet, I know the world is much better than it seems, as are people, and I appreciate what I have in my comfortable and interesting life. Sadly, many of my friends and colleagues are living in fear. They have their reasons and I honor their feelings. But we can’t give in to fear. As former President Franklin Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Fear can cause us to withdraw, make assumptions about others, and start to believe we have no agency. Humans with bad motives use fear to control others – it’s a powerful emotion and it’s too easy to use.
Thinking about my friends that are fearful and worried and discouraged led me to start wandering through my memories the other day. Was there something I could share that might make them smile or give them hope for a better day? And I realized we all need a good dose of Ms. Bunny Sparkles.
Who is Bunny Sparkles? She is an International Super Model with no limit to her self-confidence, positivity, and total belief in her future success. She is fearless. Bunny doesn’t just walk into a room – she owns it. When Bunny walks through the airport, everyone looks because they know they are watching the Most Successful Super Model of all Time as she struts into her future. That’s right: Bunny doesn’t walk – she fiercely struts as if walking down the runway. And honey, if she wanted to walk down the runway where the planes take off, they would pull to the side to let her pass.
Bunny is a force of nature, a gift of positive energy from the universe. Unstoppable, unwavering in the belief in her own destiny, and unsinkable, just like Molly Brown. Bunny sees challenges as opportunities and doesn’t let anything get in her way. This attitude allows her to take on all challengers and win without needing to re-apply her lipstick.
Even her archenemy, Bunny Sequins, cannot get her down. Bunny Sequins is her Southern cousin who constantly competes with Bunny Sparkles but when it comes to bunny-to-bunny combat, Sparkles always outshines Sequins.
You might be thinking, “Cecilia, where did you get this ridiculous story?” Well, I’ll tell you. Years ago, when I was on staff at an association, I became friends with the Marketing Director. He was a generous soul with a fantastic sense of humor; he introduced me to Bunny Sparkles – who just happened to be his alter ego. We had so much fun “playing Bunny” (if you haven’t guessed it already, I was the villain, Bunny Sequins - and we all know it’s more fun to play the villain!)
Letting me into Bunny Sparkles’ world was a gift and letting me create my own alter ego created a lot of fun. We would “go Bunny” on each other and then laugh and laugh. I still remember when “Bunny Sparkles” taught me how to walk through the airport like an International Super Model! People were looking at us but I’m not sure what they thought they saw . . .
When things seem bad or dark, I just remember Bunny Sparkles’ attitude: be confident. Own the room. Don’t let anyone bring you down. The world is your runway, girlfriend. The paparazzi (aka all the distractions) need you to notice them to exist. So just walk on by. And by the way: you always look fabulous!
Thanks to this attitude, Bunny Sparkles always comes out on top. Nothing gets in her way or brings her down – not even Bunny Sequins. Bunny Sparkles chose to move forward with positive action and not let the naysayers bring her down. If they tried, Bunny made sure they knew their bad attitude was their problem, not hers.
When the world starts to seem like it makes no sense, and you feel like there’s nothing you can do about it, think of Bunny Sparkles and remember this: you have the power to see the world for what it is and still make it fabulous.
We can all make a difference where our two feet are placed. We can’t save the whole world but we can make a difference where we are. That’s what Bunny Sparkles would do.
