#37 was to go on a hot air balloon ride. I got the idea a few years ago when a friend and I went to the Dansville Hot Air Balloon Festival. We talked about it and said "We should do that to celebrate our 40th birthdays"......so here it is, my 40th birthday.....and I'm going to do it!
I originally planned to make this the finale, the last thing that I did but after getting the lecture on how many flights don't happen due to weather, and then having to have foot surgery scheduled 10 days before my birthday, the flight had to be moved up a number of weeks.
I went with Liberty Balloon Company http://www.libertyballoon.com as I am friends with one of the family members who works within the company, so I knew it was a good company to fly with.
Attempt #1 (yes, there were multiple attempts) 8/21/10 was a 6am flight where I was going to do a flight over Letchworth State Park. Do you know what time you have to get up to be in Castile at 6am??? EARLY!!! The weather that morning was not beautiful, but we were going to attempt the launch. The poor guys set up the balloon, got us in it then wrestled it for a bit (as we got a foot off the ground) and as a 5 year old passenger screamed bloody murder the pilot decided that the weather was too marginal for a flight. Was I upset? Surprisingly no.....I had a sense of peace and calmness. First off, I'm all about being safe. I did NOT want to be up in a balloon on a marginal semi cloudy and windy day where we have to worry about landing and having the basket tip over. Second, did I really want to have to listen to a terrified little girl who really was too young for such a thing? I still had time to re-schedule....I knew we would have a good day for it when the time came. I trusted the pilot 100%.....So, we packed up and all went out for breakfast instead!
Attempt #2 9/5/10 This time I met up with the pilot and crew at the Dansville Balloon Festival in the hopes of launching for an evening flight with all the other balloons. The day had been rather "iffy" weather wise, but the winds seemed to be calming down and the sun was coming out. We were hopeful that the flight would go off. After waiting and hoping, they cancelled the flights for that evening and once again my plans were thwarted. Well, I thought....I have one weekend left....it will have to be next weekend or I'll have to come up with plan B. But rather than pout and cry,and stomp my foot (I cant stomp my feet, I only have one good foot-haha), we packed up and went to dinner!
Attempt #3 9/11/10....6:30 in the morning, beautiful sunrise, crisp air, slight fog over Conesus Lake. The launch was from Deer Creek Winery and it went off........without a hitch! It was the Pilot, myself and another passenger.
So what is it like? Floating.......serene........peaceful.....gliding......beautiful....breathtaking
The most amazing moment was when we saw the reflection of the balloon in the fog/cloud. At first glance, when it was not complete, it looked like an angel to me, but then it formed the shape of the balloon with the rainbow around it---absolutely spectacular!
So if everything happens for a reason, what was the reason that my launches kept getting thwarted? Well, I think there are a number of reasons. Some of which I can share and some of which are personal and between God and myself.
First off, God is ALWAYS working on me in the area of patience (NOT my strong suit)....so making me wait...well that's just the kind of thing that I need to do sometimes. Second, The day that the launch happened was a beautiful weather day, the sun was shining--to me, it was what I had visioned in my head that the balloon ride would be like....if we went up on the "marginal" day, well I would have been disappointed. Finally the day of the balloon ride and rest 9/11 came at a perfect time. After the balloon ride I ended up having breakfast with friends, going horseback riding, coming back to the city getting a pedicure, later making myself home-made lasagna and renting a moving and vegging on the couch. It was an exhausting day, but a great day. A day full of fun, a day of forgetting all that I "had" to do to prepare for my upcoming foot surgery, forgetting my responsibilities.
If only I remembered to take more days like that on a regular basis. Why does God have to use something like this to make it so evident to me that I needed it? I guess it means that I have something to work on, but then again....dont we all.
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