early morning…

I woke up this morning long before the sun decided to peek over the top of the mountain.  I don’t know why.  I wasn’t very happy since it’s Saturday and I could have slept in.  I have nowhere to be and nothing to do (at least not early).  I laid in bed for a while – Zach even ventured into our room, snuggled down under the quilt and went back to sleep.  I finally gave up on the notion that sleep might return, and wandered into my office.  I opened the blinds to let in what little light there was outside my window and sat down at my computer to do a little blog hopping and e-mail reading.  After a while, I looked up to see this:

I’m not sure why I am so fascinated with these hot air balloons.  I see them practically every day…this one in particular.  I think they are beautiful.  I think it must be an amazing feeling to float above the earth - to be able to look over the edge of a giant-sized wicker basket and see houses and trees and people – all on a miniature scale.  And to watch as those things get smaller and smaller and smaller, while your view gets broader and broader and broader.  I can imagine the butterflies in the stomachs of the passengers as they look down – taking it all in, viewing the magnificent beauty that is spread out below them.

This time of year, the colors must look incredible – the reds and oranges and yellows, all blending together as the valley turns into the mountains and you’re not able to see the boundaries that you know are there.  It must look like a huge artist’s pallet – full of color, at first glance, looking as though there’s no rhyme or reason, yet upon closer inspection, a realization that it’s all blended to perfection. 

Then, when the sun peeks over the mountain and it’s rays begin to spread out like a bucket of water being spilled into a channel -  it must look like a flowing river of light, flooding the land below, covering everything with the bright promises of a new day – fresh and pure and full of potential. 

Yes, that’s what I think it must be like to float above the earth in a hot air balloon. I have no desire to actually ride in one – I’m terrified of heights – but that’s what I imagine it would be like.  It has to be one of the most intense “take your breath away” moments possible.  I’m sure of it.