Mylar balloons are cool little creatures. Well, they are as long as you don’t let them free to roam the world and bump into transformers. These items are much more than shiny metallic items filled with a gas that is lighter than air. If allowed to be free, it can become a playmate, a cat toy, a free dancing soul.
Though she is eight, most nights one of us will still go in with her and talk, read, or sit until she falls off to sleep. These moments are times to which I look forward. I get to find out what is happening in this little second graders life. However, there are nights when we ask her, or she offers, to go on her own. Since she doesn’t like being on her own or the dark, there are certain items needed for her to go on her own. She turns on the radio and needs lights on. We have yet to remove the Christmas decorations so there is still a string of lights in her room. Those lights kept the monsters away last night. It actually bathes her room in wonderful colors.
Last night I turned into the hallway to check on our little one. The Christmas lights aglow, the room filled with blue, red, yellow, and green. Then my eye caught it. A movement. Something dancing in the room. A star. A blue Mylar balloon that is now only partially filled with helium. Aged, losing its bounce, no longer the beauty it was when we bought it. But it was dancing none the less.
We purchased the balloon on New Year’s Eve – a big, bright, taut, blue star. Helium filled every inch of it. Yet, it was not much fun. It was aloof. The balloon soared as high as the ceiling allowed it to go. We pulled on the string to bring it close to us. We tried to make it part of the family. It stayed as long as we held it. However, as soon as our grasp loosened off it would fly.
Now the balloon is older. To us, it is still just as beautiful as the first day we brought it home. Others might question why we still have it. However, age has changed the balloon. It still floats, but it does not search for the heights. It hangs with us. We can now play with the balloon. It follows our daughter when the wind current is just right. It allows Kia, our cat, to play with its string. It wants to be part of us. Last night, as I peaked in on our daughter, the balloon danced around her bed (okay – the movement of the air coming out of the heater caused it to dance).The balloon acted as if it wanted to play more. Perhaps, it sensed that its time was short.
I thought long of the balloon last night. How much it can be used to represent life. Young people want to fly, soar, and float on their own. It takes time for them to want to be hanging at a level with the rest of the family. As people age, they start to realize that being with the ones who love them is the most important thing. They then seek to spend as much time with their loved ones as possible before the air inside is no longer.
Balloons are interesting. They can teach us so much.
Just FYI. The balloon came bouncing into the living room this morning. It is closer to the floor, but it is not willing to stop floating just yet.