In Flight

Whoosh…

My thoughts float away with the bits of fluffy wonder I released into the Great Big Air. My breath carrying with it a thousand little hopes of what could be - what can be - what might be.

How long will it take those tiny seeds to find their places to settle? To settle or to thrive? To thrive, I think. To grow. Will they see it coming and just know? Or will they feel just as clueless about their destination as I do? When I wish on them and nudge them to be free, do they each make a wish too? Perhaps they wish for where they hope they will go. Don’t we all? May all their wishes come true.

As the wind changes direction, the light seeds spin rapidly for a moment and drift away toward a new horizon. Held safe and secure by their delicate parachutes, they fly on.

As I twist and float cleanly through the warm evening air, I know the girl is still watching; I can feel it. Maybe she is pondering the outcome of her wish or perhaps that of mine. I know I am.

I dream of somewhere cozy and softly-lit in the mornings, just dappled with light until the sun moves its stance and the shadows give way to the brightness of the midday starshine. I yearn for a place I can grow undisturbed until I am able to cultivate what I am proud to pass on. Then, when the time is right I hope a sweet soul will help me do just that. Maybe it'll be her or someone like her.

The light from the setting sun cuts through the trees just right. Illuminating each and every tiny seed and their parasols as they rise and fall with the breeze. The girl sits, hair blowing in the wind, thoughts flying free with the seeds she set free.

I know it might just be a waste of time wishing like this, but it might not be. Shooting stars, dandelions, eyelashes - they all fly away toward a world of possibilities, things I might never see. Where they land I might never know, but what if that's where my wishes come true? Maybe my wishes will manifest if only I can meet them where they end up after they've journeyed so long. Perhaps I can claim them if I see where they settle with their carriers.

The birds have begun settling in for the night. At this moment, the pair of Mallard ducks fly swiftly wherever it is they go for their evening retreat, away from the rumbles of the busy daytime world. As they pass overhead, a current lifting them up, that same current jostling the last few wishpods floating through the air.

Thank you for the lift, kind duck friends. I will remember your kindness. My destination is not too far, I can tell, but it is still a distance too far to travel without the wind of your wings. Perhaps I will see you again overhead.

I can still see her in the distance. I wonder: Can she see me? Am I too small for her human eyes? If she cannot see me, can she at least still sense me, perhaps?

The Horizon glows faintly with the last remaining glimmer of sunlight for the evening. Some lightning bugs start to appear on the edges of the tree line, sporadically casting their glow out for the world to admire.

It's truly beautiful tonight. Whether my wishes come true or disappear into the ether, I'm glad I blew on that spindly stem of fluff and stayed to watch the dreams spread out.

Hey, I think I see one last seed floating its way home.

The warm evening air grows still and soft.

I see you too.