Let's Go Fly a Kite!

Today was certainly a blustery day, so Madison put on her Winnie the Pooh sweatshirt and got in the car with Daddy to go fly a kite, up to the highest height. Or, at least that was the initial plan! You see, it's confession time: Daddy has zero skill with a kite. Nada. Ye-Ye has since admitted that he has no skill with the infernal things either, so maybe I can blame it on heredity!

Ah, picture the zen-like peace a kite flyer has, sitting quietly as he watches his kite soar majestically above. That's pretty much the polar opposite of what Daddy was experiencing. I've always been so envious. In China, kites were flying everywhere. You never saw a Chinese person frantically trying to chase down a kite, or run around trying to get the thing airborne for fifteen consecutive seconds. And you never saw a Chinese person attempting to unravel a knot the size of a cat. Add to this Madison's wanting to run around with all the string and get it tangled up, and things were not looking optimistic at first. Yet, after a small season of frustration, something magical occurred: Daddy let Madison fly the kite.

I have no scientific proof of this, except for what I just saw: Chinese people are just plain better with kites. At three years old, Madison was expertly steering the kite in the air - doing what Daddy could not do! Look at her face - she's got that zen-thing going on too!

Not that the entire time she just sat there with the kite - no, there was a lot of giggling and happiness and running going on too. This helped soften Daddy's mood tremendously. Listening to her giggle with glee made the afternoon's attempt worth it. But watching her actually fly a kite for the first time with very little help - that was something wondrous.

While Daddy runs to and fro, Madison is able to just sit there with a pleasant smile on her face, enjoying the site of her kite so high. It was a very special afternoon, and despite Daddy's complete lack of talent with kites, we'll certainly go out there and do it again!

"With your feet on the ground, you're a bird in flight - with your fist holding tight to the string of your kite." -George Banks