My wife, Natalie, usually plays the cello at weddings on Saturday afternoons. This leaves me and the boys with ample time to do some "guy"-stuff. (Not that Natalie would mind whatever we do). Today there was a slight breeze in Pretoria. There is always a slight movement of air, but never really strong enough to call a wind.
Today it was a bit stronger and so we decided to dust off our kites and try them out. We have a rather big park not too far from our home, and so, with excitement, we jumped in the car, each with his own kite. Nathan took a kite which he got as a toy when we bought some pizza. Matthew took a bigger kite which his granny bought him, and of course, Dad hauled out his professional kite that has two strings and could do tricks when in the right hands.
Needless to say, my kite didn't take off. Nathan's kite tore, but Matthew's "Bat"-kite, which he calls "Batty", took off on the first try. We all watched in amazement as Batty flew higher and higher until there was no more string on the reel. Passers-by stopped their cars and looked. People came out of their houses, holding their children's hands while watching with smiles on their faces. I started feeling a bit self-conscious, but the boys cheered as they each had a turn to hold the reel.
Then I thought of the saying "Go fly a kite!", which usually means "Go do something worthless and stop bothering me". How wrong they are. The boys and I had a wonderful time and flew the kite for well over an hour. For that moment the troubles of the world ceased. It was all about the invisible force of the wind being the source of joy, relaxation and a feeling of victory.
Tell you what. If you are working during this weekend and feel like life is weighing you down, take my advise and go fly a kite!
