Balloon

I used a balloon to demonstrate how the pressure in the balloon is higher than the pressure in the air around it.  I grabbed my red balloon and started blowing into it.  Once it was the size of a cantaloupe, it started immediately decreasing.  There was a hole in the other end.

I grabbed a green balloon, instead.  I was able to fill it up.  I asked what would happen when I released the balloon. The kids were giggling with excitement even before I let go.  We all watched as the green balloon sputtered in random circles and landed.

I felt like that green balloon today.  The minute I got to work, the stress and pressure built up inside of me.  It was more noticeable because of the contrast between my restful weekend.  I felt every email, every need, every item on my list filling my insides.

I had an amazing meeting that put much of my concerns at bay.  Then I came home to a cleaner house than I left.  The air sped out of me just like it sped out of that green balloon.  I felt lighter, I had been stretched, but I was back to being relaxed.  I was able to breathe, focus and do a bit of work.

Without those air releasing moments, I would have been paralyzed by my list and discouraged by my weariness.  Enjoy and be thankful for the little things.  Take advantage of the moments that lift you in the hopes that the heavy moments won't crush you.

I feel the weight most of the time, I am trying to learn how to live lighter, how to let the air go through me like the red balloon rather than holding it inside like the green balloon.  That hole on the other side didn't help for my science demonstration, but it did help for relieving the pressure.  I am learning, but oh, it takes so much time and way more practice than I would like.