Big Wind

I spent some time in the car this weekend. We had friends who were doing a party for their son. Asher was turning 3 so he had a dinosaur themed “Three-Historic” Birthday Party. I gotta say, that is an awesome theme! The party was held at a park on the coast in Pismo Beach. It was a beautiful setting on cliffs just above the ocean. The only real problem was the wind. It was pretty sporty on Saturday and that caused a myriad of problems with balloons, food, and paper. When I was a kid all of the presents were wrapped, but now it is much easier to put the gift in a bag and stuff tissue paper on top. Wind and tissue paper are not a perfect match in many ways. As several of us stood around chatting we saw a piece of tissue paper get swept out of a gift bag then dance around the park in circles. One daring guest made an attempt to corral the renegade wrap with no success. The best option seemed to be just watching and trying to see just how far it would get before becoming impaled on a shrub. The answer: a L-O-N-G way! We watched it spin circles until it hie the cliff whereupon it make a rapid assent on an updraft. It continued to soar upward for several hundred feet and began to drift northward down range. As it became a tiny speck most of us pretty much gave up on tracking its progress. Then it made a turn inland. The inland weather did not provide as much lift and it began to descend. Now a new draft caught it and it started a slow approach back to the park. Interest grew as it got closer and closer to the original launch point and we began to have hopes that it might become a paper boomerang and actually come home. There was a mixture of sadness and elation when it landed just across the street in a backyard. So close…

Have you ever been that paper? I have. I get swept up in the winds of life and leave the place where I am meant to be. I abandon my purpose and turn into an oddity for the amusement of the crowd. Circumstance may toss me about for a bit, but I have found that I can come back. I might be a little worse for wear, but I can come home again just like the prodigal!

Are you being thrown hither and yon by life and circumstances that you weren’t quite prepared for? Are you finding yourself adrift and battered? It’s never too late. People are watching and rooting for you. Hold on and…

–Rise Up!!

Me and my Pal Kallie at Asher’s Bash