Lightweight Qualifications
Some children spend years learning how to walk.
This one apparently skipped several chapters and went directly into flight.
Nobody knows exactly when the balloons became stronger than gravity. The child certainly didn’t ask for an explanation. Children rarely do. They simply accept impossible things with alarming professionalism.
The balloons looked perfectly ordinary.
The child looked perfectly ordinary.
Together, however, they had become a transportation system.
There are days when five balloons and unreasonable optimism seem like perfectly responsible travel arrangements.
Especially when the destination is somewhere above the clouds.
Three-Wheel Aviation
Technically, the bicycle possesses three wheels.
Emotionally, it possesses wings.
The child pedals with complete confidence despite being nowhere near the ground.
The bicycle never intended to become airborne. It merely discovered that dreams occasionally ignore engineering limitations.
Some mornings begin with plans.
Others begin with curiosity.
The second category tends to produce more interesting stories.
A little momentum.
A small adventure.
And suddenly the road is much farther below than anyone expected.
Teddy Approved Travel
Air travel can be stressful.
That is why professionals recommend bringing emotional support bears.
The child hugs a small brown teddy with the seriousness of someone protecting valuable cargo. The teddy appears equally committed to the arrangement.
Neither one seems worried about altitude.
The teddy has no pilot training.
The child has no flight training.
Yet both seem remarkably confident about the situation.
Perhaps friendship has always been a form of transportation.
Some journeys simply happen faster when nobody travels alone.
Premium Cloud Seating
The chair is yellow.
The headphones are yellow.
The mood is aggressively comfortable.
The balloons handle transportation.
The music handles atmosphere.
Everything appears to be operating exactly as intended.
The child sits several feet above the ground with the calm confidence of someone who has accidentally upgraded to first class.
A cloud drifts by.
A song continues playing.
The afternoon stretches itself a little longer.
Nobody seems in a hurry to improve anything.
Livora Gracely 
Leave a comment