Imagination Is The Highest Kite One Can Fly

I must apologise for the long title, but this is actually a quote from Lauren Bacall, and I find so much truth in it. How many times did we withdraw into our minds only to find bounteous wondrous worlds in there? And I think it is vital that we constantly encourage our children to dream beyond their wildest fantasies - to make them feel that the world is a multifarious arcade of splendid beauties. To teach them to embrace life passionately - despite life's ubiquitous and irksome idiosyncracies. 

So last weekend, I brought them to fly kites. So that they can gaze into the sky and wonder how big our universe really is. So that they get to understand the forces of nature, that their kites simply will not soar into the sky if the elusive wind decides to play hide and seek with us. So that they can gradually understand that humans are but mere miniscule chess pieces in this glorious world we call home, and that we are but mere transient guests on this planet in this prodigious journey of time.

 

Proud Bees displaying their kites, with their favourite characters!

And fly kite they will. In the absence of wind, the Bees would grab their kites high in the air and ran as fast as they could - using the adrenaline-induced momentum of a feeble gush of air to bring life into their kites. Big Bee's athletic prowess allowed her kite to flow gracefully in mid air, whereas poor Little Bee ran at full speed with her little legs, only to have her kite dangling somewhat dishevelledly behind her back!

The following morning, underneath a cerulean sky peppered with white and grey clouds, we took a relaxed walk to a gorgeously verdant and open field behind our estate. 

Little specks of highly excited entities against a panoramic backdrop of blue and green

The wind was cruelly evasive, flirting with us through playful gusts that made us whooped with joy as the kites rose against its force, only to abandon us with glee, leaving the kites slumped and lifeless. That was how the girls learned about the power of nature, that nature is simply beyond our control, and that we have to patiently wait for certain things.

 

Big Bee getting the hang of the intermittent wind!

Little Bee was mesmerised when the kite started lifting!

The wind continued its ambiguous game with us, culminating with a rising storm wind that was accompanied by a stern dark grey cloud hovering over us. I decided to call it a day, much to the Bees' disappointment. But I took this opportunity to relate to Big Bee (in somewhat sketchy details!) how Benjamin Franklin discovered that lightning was electrical in nature through his kite-flying experiment. She was intrigued and asked me how come he was not killed. My knowledge of Benjamin Franklin was not very deep so I told her humbly I need to read up more on this. Hubby suggested that Franklin was perhaps wearing rubber shoes! 

As for Little Bee, whenever she sees the leaves on trees dancing with the wind, she will always tell me, "Wind! Can fly kite!" 

I am hoping we will get a merry, even-tempered wind this weekend!