Hot Air Balloons: A Metaphor for Life?

Recently, we went to the Bacon, Brews, and Balloons Festival here in Redmond, Oregon, and a thought struck me as I watched these hot air balloons inflate. I was also thinking about how scary it would be (for me, at least) to be up in a hot air balloon. Think about it, though. You can’t control where it goes once it is in the air. There’s no way to steer a hot air balloon and the only thing you can control is the altitude! A good hot air balloon pilot can plot out their course based on extensive review of the weather and wind maps, but that can all change relatively quickly.

It made me think about life’s course on the physical plane, and how we think we’re in control of everything, but most times we aren’t. The best made plans can (and will) fail at some point in your life, and your altitude (mood, reaction, etc.) will change. You may be cruising along at a steady pace, on course, with a good altitude, but something in your life comes like a rogue wind and knocks you off course. You can’t change the wind, but you can choose how you react to it.

A good hot air balloon pilot knows to stay calm throughout the rogue wind, and even though they may be knocked off course, they might find a better place to land or see a better view of the world below them. They don’t jam open the valve at full capacity and come crashing back down to the earth below them. They don’t panic. And neither should you. Instead, they radio to their crew and let them know what’s happening, where they’re headed now, and how they’re doing.

Life may knock you off course or ruin some plan you had for yourself or your family, but choosing how you react to the change will determine how it goes from then on out. Don’t deflate yourself to come crashing back down to earth. Don’t panic and forget what you know. Let the wind carry you when this happens. Get in touch with your crew, whoever that may be, and communicate with them, whether you need help or just to let them know how you’re faring.

Let the God and Goddess show you your new path.

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