In order to best serve children and families, I now understand that I must free myself of the common fears of life. Thoughts of frustration, anger, guilt, fear, worry, attack, and insecurity. Each of these thoughts pull me away from the person I was born to be. Holding onto unkind and unloving thoughts simply restrict my ability to live my best life.
In coming to know this, I sought and found a visualization activity that’s been helping me move forward in life. It’s called “The Hot Air Balloon Release”, and it’s helped remove the thoughts that bog me down.
While my eyes are closed, I imagine that I’m in an open field where there’s a large hot air balloon with my name on it. In observing the hot air balloon, open field, and breathtakingly blue sky, I then see a moving truck with its back doors open, pull up next to my hot air balloon. Within the back of this truck, I notice boxes and boxes stacked up on one another. In black bold marker words like frustration, anger, fear, & worry are clearly written separately on each individual box. All the restrictive feelings that I’m currently carrying with me show up in the back of this truck.
As I begrudgingly move towards the truck, I begin to unpack the truck and load these boxes one by one into my hot air balloon. The number of boxes in this truck always varies but, it tends to be full more often than I like to admit.
When I have the truck completely unloaded, I then take a moment to observe the emptied truck. Taking notice of how I can see clearly through the truck up into the front cab area and, how the rear tires are hoisted higher off the frame of the vehicle.
Now when I’m ready to release and let go of these non-serving & unloving thoughts, I look at the basket that now securely holds these thoughts. Next, I use my sharp scissors or pocket knife to cut the four ropes holding my hot air balloon down to the ground. As those stagnant non-serving thoughts lift off into the atmosphere, I too feel myself and the well-being of others lifting as well.
“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” – Nelson Mandela
