Lessons from a Balloon Ride

As a child, I remember being captivated by the hot-air balloon in The Wizard of Oz ... the Wizard drifting slowly toward the heavens leaving poor Dorothy in tears with feet firmly planted on earth. From time to time I would glimpse colorful balloons drifting through the sky and imagine the view from such heights. When our town would host an occasional Balloon Fest, my daughters and I would wander through the field, camera in hand, admiring the beautiful creations. The beauty of glowing balloons after dark could never be quite captured on film ... or at least on my film! Then, in celebration of my 50th birthday and 25th Mother's Day, my daughters gave me the gift of floating through the sky. A combination of nerves and excitement filled my heart on a beautiful day in May 2006. Finally, I would experience what I had only imagined since my first viewing of The Wizard of Oz.

As the hot air expanded filled the cavity of the balloon I was amazed at the heat, the noise and the ever growing size of the balloon. With its increasing mass, the balloon began to take on a life of its own and required pushing and tugging to keep its position somewhat stable. The balloon wanted to drift one direction on the ground, but the handler tugged on a rope in an attempt to keep the balloon stable in the best position for accepting the hot air shooting from the propane heaters. The balloon and the crew were in a struggle of the wills ... and the crew would prevail.


Once the balloon began lifting from the ground, more strength was needed to hold the basket close enough to the ground for us to climb over the sides. While tether ropes would keep the balloon from rising into the sky, muscles was needed to pull it close, hold it still and slide over the top of the basket. A bit more difficult than I had expected ... but I was quickly inside what turned out to be a very tight area. The basket holds not only passengers, but also the pilot and several heaters that will keep the balloon aloft. My life at this time depended on silk, jute, and the skill of one man as we rose to several thousand feet above the earth. I had no control over anything that would happen within the next thirty minutes ... except the ability to relax, trust and enjoy the beauty below me.

We weren't the only balloon in the sky that late afternoon. We waved as the two balloons drifted by in the silent sky. Other than an occasional "swoosh" of the heater shooting a puff of hot air inside the balloon, the sky was filled with silence. We were floating in a peaceful world that had no connection with the activity of daily life ... time was suspended as we hung there between two worlds. The sun was slowing drifting toward earth and the sky was filling with oranges and purples as we began our descent to earth.

Lessons from a Balloon Ride:

~ Adventures come at the most unexpected times in the most unexpected ways.

~ You need to leave your comfort zone to experience an adventure.

~ To prepare for an adventure, you may need to submit your will to the will of others.

~ An adventure will bring a paradigm shift … be prepared.

~ Sometimes

just “being” … breathing in the peace and stillness of a moment can be enough.

~ An adventure doesn’t need to be complicated or lengthy or radical to be an adventure.

~ While the “landing” may be bumpy, it is only temporary; the beauty of the adventure is worth any bumps along the way!