Winds of Change

International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (Albuquerque, New Mexico)

The chilly morning air hugged my body with an unwelcome embrace as I shifted through the throng of people saturating the grassy field. Strings of pop-up tents glowed brightly in the night, vendors hawking their wares and food to the pre-dawn crowd. Pushing our way through the mass, we approached dark shapes bobbling on the ground. A fiery flare of light pierced the black, illuminating a colorful balloon. The flares continued, bringing to life a multitude of hot air balloons eager for a blind flight in the cold darkness. 

Hot air of desire rose within the balloons as they fought the imprisonment of ropes tethering them to the ground. Soon the ropes were released as the balloons embraced the freedom of the open sky. 

My ropes have been suddenly untethered here with my job in New Mexico by winds of change. I am sad my job did not work out. It is too easy to focus on that rather than the positive. I have a place to live and a part-time job in Seattle as well the hope job applications all over bring.

I feel the wobbling basket of fear that I am riding right now, confirmed by other voices echoing that I am weak or have made the wrong choices. However, I trust a balloon of faith as well as a personal determination to not let myself continue to go down. It is not easy ride.  I look forward to overcoming the challenges and embracing the joys this journey will bring.  I know I am not alone. There are thousands of other balloons, each filled with people with their own story. I am fortunate to cross paths with so many of you and learn your stories. Sometimes we share the same basket of uncertainty and bring encouragement to each other through a Skype call or text message. Other times we share smiles of love from near and afar.

“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men, for the most part, experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”  - Helen Keller

Did you know that aerodynamically, the bumblebee's flight is inefficient. Instead it relies on brute force strength to keep flapping its wings, very much like a bicycle. A bicycle in motion will stay upright. Once it loses its motion, it falls. Be like a bumblebee... keep flapping with inner strength! :)