Being a Vessel Pt. 3 – Hot Air Balloon

I once had a friend who owned a hot air balloon. He was a really good friend and we had a lot of fun together. When you own a hot air balloon, you’re a pilot and you have to put in so many hours and log them to keep your license by the FAA. So he flew often … he had to. He oftentimes needed a crew of usually about four other people that would help him unpack the balloon, get the balloon ready for launch, be the ground crew that could chase the balloon in the truck after a landing and of course, I had opportunities to fly in the balloon. It sounds like a scary thing, but actually hovering above the Earth in that balloon felt very safe. He was a very smart man who was a pharmacist. I always felt safe.
The thing about a balloon is you go where the wind blows you. You really don’t have any control. You don’t feel out of control. You can lift the balloon by turning up the heat or you can allow the balloon to come towards the ground by turning down the flame. Otherwise, you go where you’re blown.
I feel like this in life as I spoke in the last blog about Being a Vessel Part 2 – Sailboat. You’re even more at the mercy of the wind when you’re in a balloon. You usually go in the morning when it is cooler so the heat used can be the most effective and you also go when it isn’t windy. The wind can be unstable and vary at different altitudes. There were times we would catch a little wind and landed in cactus fields. There were times we landed in the middle of the street in someone’s neighborhood. There’s been times I’ve seen balloons hovering over a freeway and there’s no wind at all and they can’t move hoping their fuel doesn’t run out. It’s a very interesting way to travel. I’m at the mercy of the wind and I love it. I trust the wind that I am going to land exactly where I’m supposed to. I can do my due diligence and prepare for this journey, but there is Faith that is necessary. It is truly an adventure.
Control is the opposite of Faith and Trusting the Universe. We know there is a dichotomy with the polarization that is on this Earth. Truth can be found on each end of the spectrum. You have to control yourself or your car lets say, however trying to control Fate or the uncontrollable instances that come our way with uncertainty are impossible to control, yet we sometimes or often try. Change is to be embraced. It is a gift. Frequently, we cannot understand why change raises its head. It was unplanned for and frequently throws us off course. I marvel at how everything is in synchronicity. Not only does everything work together, but it is purposeful. We have opportunities to grow from the unplanned occurrences that come to us. People freak out and panic when they cannot control instances and other people. I do. I at times, will babysit my sister’s dog. He will defecate in the house and I have to keep a pee pad inside. There was a present left for me multiple times on the day she dropped him off recently. Why does he leave them inside and not outside in the lawn where all the other dogs go and where he will go when he wants to? I will never really know for sure. What I do know is that I am in control of my attitude and actions. I may forget and get frustrated while in the moment at times. I have tried everything to curb this behavior to no avail. So now I know that he is here like many difficult people for me to practice unconditional love. They are a gift and not just a gift for me, but I am a gift for them when I can respond with love. If someone is offending to you, your response and their offense are both gifts for each because you are learning and they provided the opportunity. They may be here to do that for everyone and learn from both the anger and the love that is given back. Your loving response may change that person’s life. Just like the guy that flipped me off on the freeway today when I changed lanes before he changed lanes ahead of me, I had an opportunity to practice not being angry, not knowing his reasoning and allowing him to be angry. I felt sorry for him that he responds with such anger and takes offense for whatever reason. For the record, if anything, it was a coincidence that I happened to change lanes before he did. I did something he didn’t plan for and it was unsettling. He faced something he couldn’t control and transferred his fear to me. I was in control of my reaction and knew that unconditional love is what must be practiced just like when I am working with my sister’s dog.
I am happy to be moved when I am moved and I am happy how I am moved at all times, just like the hot air balloon. I trust the wind and it’s a beautiful sight to be above the Earth and looking down. I trust that when I land in an uncomfortable place, I will be in my choice to react with love even though it may be uncomfortable and unplanned for. I vow to embrace uncertainty as a gift and not as a rock in my shoe. It is fun to be moved when it is unplanned for by an invisible force I cannot control. It makes life an adventure!