Kite and String

Kite was excited, ready to fly.  The wind was just right, a brisk and steady breeze in the warm air.  Kite checked his ribs, they were strong and sturdy.  His covering was tight and ready to catch the air to give him just the right lift.  And he was particularly proud of his beautiful tail, made of colorful bits of fabric tied in bright bows to add some stability in the wind and assure that Kite could be seen even when he was waaaay high up in the air.

“C’mon, String!  Shake a leg, let’s go flying!” String was plain, sturdy, no nonsense, strong.  She cautioned Kite – “Let’s be sure we’re tied together tightly.”  Kite rolled his eyes, String could be such a drag sometimes, always wanting to be cautious and careful.  But he allowed String time to get herself connected and tightly secure.

After a running start, Kite felt himself being lifted with the wind.  He was FLYING!  String was quietly doing her job, extending herself into the atmosphere along with Kite.  She unrolled a little bit at the time, allowing more and more of herself to be used, exposed, stretching herself into new territory. 

String took her job seriously.  Wound up in a tight ball, she was more useful when she extended herself.  She’d had many jobs in the past.  Packages were tied up neatly and tightly, thanks to her.  And she’d helped make sure the garden rows were arrow straight.  Tied around a finger, she had been a gentle reminder for a human.  But man, this job, with Kite – this one was a challenge!  He wanted more and more of her, and she stretched herself out more with each adventure.   Sometimes she wasn’t sure she was strong enough, but she even surprised herself a time or two.  She unrolled herself more and more, expanding into new territory, sharing more of her heart as Kite rose higher and higher.  This vulnerability was new and strange, but somehow gave her more strength than ever and she was grateful to have the opportunity to work with Kite.  String adored Kite; he was beautiful, colorful, exciting, adventurous, all the things she was not.  Sometimes he scared her, sometimes he frustrated her, but ultimately she loved every single moment with him as he flitted high above the earth, dipping and soaring, playing tag with the birds. 

Meanwhile, Kite was ecstatic.  Flying!  There was nothing like it – feeling the wind in his face, his tail whipping around flashing colorfully.  He felt strong and sure, enjoying glorious freedom, absolute peace.  These were feelings he didn’t seem to be able to grasp down below on the ground.  Up in the air, high above the world, all else seemed smaller and insignificant.  The only sound was the gentle wind whooshing all around him.  Looking down, he could view the treetops and the rooftops.  Sharing the skies with the fluffy white clouds, racing the sparrows and herons, he felt truly alive.  Things on the ground looked so far away, so dull and boring.  Why be chained to gravity when you could soar up toward the stars?  Kite jumped a bit higher, urging himself to the outer edges of the atmosphere.

And then he felt it.  A gentle tug, then a sharper yank.  It was String. Good old plain, reliable String, reminding him not to fly too high, giving him a bit of direction, helping him to fly safely. 

At first Kite was aggravated.  String could be such a stick-in-the-mud.  He sighed and allowed himself to be reined in just a bit.   How about if he just snapped her off and flew away on his own?  Man, that’d be great! No more tugs, no more pulling down, no chains, complete freedom.  Daydreaming a bit, Kite imagined what it would be like to be flying, loose and free….or would it really be freedom?  Another gentle tug interrupted his reverie, just as a sharp gust of wind shoved him hard – and String quickly took up the slack.

Suddenly he realized – he NEEDED String.  Without that gentle tug, without that tether, he might fly around free a few minutes, but eventually he’d be at the mercy of the winds and of gravity and come crashing to earth.  With a rush of love that felt more intense than the breezes he used to soar into the heavens, he looked at his gentle, reliable String.  Strong and straight, she shone against the blue skies.  String smiled up at him, as she watched Kite dancing in the skies.  Kite smiled back, and blew her a kiss. 

Kite and String, together – they make a pretty good team.