…UPS would be driving yellow trucks, forecasts would always be optimistic, truck drivers and warehouse employees would be the happiest in the world, and every day would be “The Best Day Ever“.

SpongeBob SquarePants turned 10 years old recently, and if you’ve never heard of SpongeBob, then you certainly don’t have kids or watch Nickelodeon or get out much (the show attracts over 3.5 million viewers, airs in 170 overseas markets, and “the sponge” earns $8 billion in sales and licensing fees).

“If consumer confidence had a face, it would be the gleaming, avid face of SpongeBob SquarePants,” writes James Parker in “SpongeBob’s Golden Dream” (The Atlantic, June 2009).  The article explores the “deeper meaning” of SpongeBob, which at first glance seems ridiculous, but after reading the article several times, I think I get it now.  This is the same experience I had with the show.  The first time I sat with my kids to watch an episode, I couldn’t grasp why this show was so popular.  But the more I watched, the more fixated I became with SpongeBob’s unabashed optimism and positive vibes.  “SpongeBob is one of the greatest believers in the American dream in all of children’s entertainment,” says Greg Rowland, a brand consultant quoted in Parker’s article.  “He’s courageous, he’s optimistic, he’s representing everything that Mickey Mouse should have represented but never did.”

Why am I writing about SpongeBob today?  Well, I guess I just need a break (and I assume most of you do too) from all the negative headlines about the economy, healthcare, the environment, and so forth. This is my way of hitting the pause button, if just for a day, to focus on the things that make me happy, like blowing bubbles with my daughter.  I think everybody should carry bubbles in their briefcase or keep a bottle on their desk.  If you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, just go outside and blow a few bubbles.  Who cares what your coworkers or neighbors might think; you’ll feel much better, I promise.

Next week, I’ll get back to writing about the financial results of logistics service providers (see News Roundup for UPS and Ryder results), or the latest updates on cap-and-trade and the Employee Free Choice Act, or what’s happening on the technology front.  But today is Friday, the best day ever.

Parker concludes his article with the following: “Trotting along bright-hearted, laughing his spray-on headache of a laugh, [SpongeBob] will not succumb to complication.  His corner of the world is all levity.  Embrace him, drained adult.  Where you see his little yellow flag, salute it; it’s a sign of life.”

Enjoy the weekend.