I was stopped at a traffic light the other day when I looked off in the distance and saw a lone balloon sailing off into the atmosphere.
My first thought was, “Oh-oh! Someone’s not going to be happy.”
I watched it sail away into a cloudless blue sky. I found myself wondering what the story was behind that balloon.
It looked like one of those Mylar balloons that probably had something written on it even though it was too high in the sky to read.
Was someone walking out of the store with a bunch of “Happy Birthday” balloons? Did they lose their grip when they were reaching for their keys? Maybe it was a “Happy Retirement” balloon and now it’s just sailing away.
I really hope it wasn’t being held by a little one who lost their grip. “Hold on tight sweetie!”
I don’t remember losing a balloon back when I was a child but I do remember at least one of my children having one get away. What I remember is how devastated they felt. They were crushed! It was like the end of the world, “Oh no!” Then there were times when you would tie it onto their wrist and they would shake their hand and scream, “I don’t like this! Take it off!”
I posted a picture of the balloon sailing off on Facebook and one of the commenters pointed out that mom or dad might not have had time to go back but you could be sure if it was a grandma or grandpa that they would. Yeah, I probably would.
I know releasing balloons into the environment is not good for wildlife but I’m sure this was just an accident. Years ago we used to have balloon releases around the world but then we found out what all that plastic was doing to the animals. Sometimes I think that plastic might have been one of the worst things we ever invented. On the one hand it’s given us so many ways to preserve and store things but what are we doing to our planet?
One other thing I thought of as I watched that balloon float away was how wonderful it would be if we could do the same with our worries or concerns. I believe we should learn from the things that happen to us but then… wouldn’t it be great if we could just release them and let them drift off?
“What can this experience teach me? Have I learned all I can from this? Ok. Time to release it.”
It was something to think about as that balloon just drifted away……
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