DEFLATED BALLOONS
Happy Birthday floated downwards, and happy birthday scripted in pink letters floated toward the ceiling on two of the balloons that composed a five-balloon bouquet purchased by my son to celebrate his aunt’s birthday which is in July. It was now late August.
Two weeks earlier the balloons had been fully inflated and could have soared to heights beyond what I could see, to places I could not imagine, and experienced the ebb and flow of the atmosphere, had they not been tethered. Tethered and losing air, they couldn’t even reach the ceiling of the porch.
The weighted balloons couldn’t float anywhere, so they swayed back and forth, rooted in one spot, on the porch. After being successfully inflated with helium and taking just one car ride, they were deposited into the hands of my surprised sister-in-law as we sang the traditional Happy Birthday song. Photographed that August Sunday afternoon and the following Monday morning, they were placed in a corner where they had begun to deflate and on the next trash collection day would go to their forever resting place. Some might say they had lived out their purpose. Maybe. But who knows because they were tethered and not released to soar.
The bouquet of balloons' lifespan could easily be indicative of lives that fail to launch, dreams that fail to become true, or plans that fail to be executed.
Just before putting the balloons in the garbage can, I removed the red-foiled paper from the tethering weight. I found a crudely constructed round cement disk with decorated strands of wire anchored to the center. The balloons were tightly bound to only one piece of the wire. Frankly, I was disappointed. I expected something a bit more elaborate.
As soon as I had the expectation though, I realized that expectations are monster tethers. Not all tethers are bad. They can keep us focused on the task at hand. However, when they become albatross-like and hinder the ability of one to soar or move from one place to another, then they are problematic.
Tethers can be almost anything – mistakes, failures, family, work, financial resources, fear, expectations – anything that keeps one from experiencing the freedom to expand, find peace, wholeness, or deters a dream or vision from becoming reality, is a tether.
When the balloon's tether was exposed, it, like much of what we face in life, failed to be of much significance. Our expectations, mistakes, fears, and yes sometimes even our families are minimized when we recognize their tethering effect.
I have high expectations of myself and others which means I am sometimes disappointed. I have learned to respect my expectations. Expectations are not bad. But I have also learned to not let disappointments tether me to my expectations should they happen. Certainly, I am not open to sitting in the corner and slowly letting the air of life seep out of me because of them.
Proverbs 12:25
PONDER THIS THOUGHT --- To fly may mean releasing someone or something.
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