The Mountain and the Kite

In a quiet town nestled between mountains and rivers in Colorado, there is a legendary kite maker named Arthur. His kites are beautiful, vibrant, and capable of soaring higher than any others.

People often ask Arthur what his secret is, and he usually smiles and says, “The kite knows it must be light, the string knows it must be strong.”

Apparently this is how legendary kite makers speak.

One day, a young girl named Sarah came to Arthur, holding a crumpled kite. “I want my kite to fly higher than the mountains,” Sarah said, her eyes filled with longing. “But every time I let it go, it crashes.”

Arthur nodded, his eyes projecting empathy and understanding. He gestured for Sarah to follow him to a nearby hilltop. Once there, Arthur asked, “Why do you think your kite falls?”

“Maybe it’s too heavy?" said Sarah. "Maybe I should cut the string so it can fly free.”

Arthur chuckled. “Nope. Don't do that. A kite without a string doesn’t fly. It flutters aimlessly and falls. The string is what gives the kite its strength to soar.”

Seeing Sarah’s confusion, Arthur pointed at the ski resort in front of them and the open sky above.

“The kite and the mountain teach us two truths. The mountain stays grounded—it’s solid, strong, and unmovable. But the kite… it dances in the wind. It is light, expansive, and knows how to move with the flow.”

Sarah frowned. “But they are so different. Which approach is correct?"

“Ah,” Arthur said softly, “This is the secret to life: the pursuit of grounded expansiveness. Like the mountain, you must stay connected to what matters—your values, your purpose, and the present moment.

"But, like the kite, you must allow yourself to move lightly, joyfully, and freely with life’s winds. It’s not about choosing between stability and freedom; it’s about holding both at once.”

Arthur handed Sarah a new kite, its string perfectly knotted, its body light as a whisper.

“Hold the string firmly, but let the kite move as it must. You will see how far it can go.”

As Sarah ran down the hill, the kite rose into the sky, higher and higher, its bright colors glimmering against the clouds. She laughed, feeling both grounded by the string in her hands and expansive as she watched the kite dance above the earth.

At that moment, Sarah understood: To soar, you need both the string and the wind—strength and lightness, stability and flow.

**

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