I was out working in my yard today when something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I did a double take because I wasn't sure what it was that I saw floating in the sky. At first hasty glance I thought maybe it was large birds which instantly made me wonder what was dead over in one of the neighbor's yards. Hey, as long as it wasn't the one of the neighbors, I figured it was all good.
Turns out, it wasn't buzzards or vultures or whatnot (though I have actually seen those a time or two a little too close to my neighborhood feasting on some road kill - hey, I had to look... just not close enough to see much), but balloons. Three bundles of balloons that someone had released into the sky.
From their low level to the ground I think they were released a street or so over from my house. But... why?
Fascinated, I ended up sitting down at the back of my driveway and watching as the three bunches floated up into the sky. Higher and higher. Until they disappeared. I couldn't seem to help myself. I just sat and watched and wondered.
Wondered who had released them and why. Did they escape from a birthday party? Were some children sending out messages into the world with the hope that whoever got their missive would respond from some far off land like England or Australia or Pacoima (which is totally far from my hometown I assure you. More or less.). Just what was the purpose of those balloons floating skyward?
I'll never know the answer to that I'm sure, but watching them float away seemed somehow... magical. Because maybe whoever released those balloons was doing more than simply letting go of a few ribbons and strings. Maybe they were symbolic of letting go of something in that person's life that needed to be released so that they could be released. Maybe those balloons were really hopes and dreams being set upon the breeze to float skyward and catch flight and carry those hopes and dreams further than that person could do at that moment. So many maybes and possibilities.
I sat and watched until each bundle of balloons had risen so high into the blue summer sky that they weren't even specs anymore. And I thought about what hopes and dreams that I may need to cast to the winds and see where they land. What, perhaps, I should release in order to be released. And I know when I walk outside tomorrow morning I will gaze up at the dawning sky, for just an instant, and hope that those balloons have reached their destination. Fulfilled their purpose. And that I will too.
Turns out, it wasn't buzzards or vultures or whatnot (though I have actually seen those a time or two a little too close to my neighborhood feasting on some road kill - hey, I had to look... just not close enough to see much), but balloons. Three bundles of balloons that someone had released into the sky.
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| found on Google Images |
Fascinated, I ended up sitting down at the back of my driveway and watching as the three bunches floated up into the sky. Higher and higher. Until they disappeared. I couldn't seem to help myself. I just sat and watched and wondered.
Wondered who had released them and why. Did they escape from a birthday party? Were some children sending out messages into the world with the hope that whoever got their missive would respond from some far off land like England or Australia or Pacoima (which is totally far from my hometown I assure you. More or less.). Just what was the purpose of those balloons floating skyward?
I'll never know the answer to that I'm sure, but watching them float away seemed somehow... magical. Because maybe whoever released those balloons was doing more than simply letting go of a few ribbons and strings. Maybe they were symbolic of letting go of something in that person's life that needed to be released so that they could be released. Maybe those balloons were really hopes and dreams being set upon the breeze to float skyward and catch flight and carry those hopes and dreams further than that person could do at that moment. So many maybes and possibilities.
I sat and watched until each bundle of balloons had risen so high into the blue summer sky that they weren't even specs anymore. And I thought about what hopes and dreams that I may need to cast to the winds and see where they land. What, perhaps, I should release in order to be released. And I know when I walk outside tomorrow morning I will gaze up at the dawning sky, for just an instant, and hope that those balloons have reached their destination. Fulfilled their purpose. And that I will too.
1 comment:
This post makes me happy.
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