The Kite Flyer
The white puffy clouds caught his eye as he gazed upwards. The warm Spring air blew as a steady breeze this day. The Sun high in its arc sent beams through the boundaries of the cloud layer and traced their path to the ground in the open valley.
The box kite, made ready in the morning hours, fitted with a few thousand feet of string, sat nearby in the back of the pickup truck. The young boy sipped from his soda can and wiped his mouth with a sweeping motion of his bare tan arm.
The prevailing winds blew from his back towards the dominating mountains in the distance. The entire scene was a mixture of channeling wind, clouds, and scattered sunbeams. As the wind subtly whispered to him, he knew the time to launch the kite was nigh.
The slightest of effort positioned the kite into the wind, upon its release it ascended at a brisk pace towards the sky. The string unwound without hesitation in a constant rotation about the spindle in the hands of the young boy. He was already an expert kite flyer, his father had taught him the understanding years before.
Often the father and son would fly kites together. They learned from the wind and paid their respect to its existence. Not all lessons are learned through words. Sometimes just spending time together is the best way to share time.
The secrets of the wind could be understood there in the Valley of Thoughts. That valley is a place where the winds blow and speak an ancient message heard best in silence. Thoughts and emotions merge with the wind there, the occasional gusts are the symbols of motivation, the calm is the reminder to be at peace with oneself.
The wind is invisible, but its effects can be witnessed with the movements of the kite. The kite is the connection. The relationship is balanced by the flyer's belief in the kite's performance in the unpredictable winds aloft.
The winds teach many lessons. One only needs to stand still in the wind and hear its voice. The lessons vary every day so repeated experience is required.
The young boy spent many years in the classroom of the wind. When he grew to a man he was ready for life. Each kite he had flown taught him something new.
His father, now a grandfather to his son, was proud. One day they would all fly kites together, and listen to the stories of the wind—and smile.
