Following the Wind

At the age of 15 she knew she didn't want to go to college. She knew she wanted to be wild and free, following the wind wherever it blew. High school wasn't a great experience for her and she knew school was not how she wanted to continue her life. All she ever thought about was the wind blowing her in the right direction. The wind was always her friend and she knew that it would take her where she was supposed to go. She held onto that confidence and walked the path it laid out before her.

At 16 she got her drivers license and that address to her freedom. She often found herself at the beach, sitting in the warms sand and letting the chilly wind blow through her hair. Or up on the mountain, in the trees listening to the gentle. wind rustle the leaves. The wind always reminded her that it was there for her, leading the way.

On her 17th birthday, her dad took her skydiving. This was the first time she felt the wind in a rush. Beyond the rush of falling from the sky, she felt the rush of the wind past her ears. It almost felt as if the wind was angry. Loud in her ears and strong on her body as she tried sliced through it. She felt its resistance as she fell, saving her from falling too fast. When she pulled the parachute, she watched it billow and unfold as the wind filled it entirely.

Until the age of 19 she chased after the strength of the wind. She jumped out of airplanes and let the wind catch her every time. She drove a little too fast with the window down, letting the wind surround her. She ran just to feel the wind in her hair and pushing her to go faster. She'd stand and let the wind swirl around her, letting it hold her up.

She was at the mercy of the wind, until the age of 20. Then the comfort of the wind changed into something else. She struggled to find the reason for the change. It felt as if the wind was no longer moving with her but pushing her toward something else. She felt discontent with doing her own thing. She no longer felt it was just her and the wind. She met him.

By 27, she was happily married, with a house, a dog, and two wonderful little boys. She had found what the wind had been pushing her toward. She knew she was where she was supposed to be. She knew that while the wind was still her friend, she no longer need it to catch her, surround her, push her, or hold her.

Some days she finds herself standing alone with the wind, remembering. Remembering the lost teenager she used to be, remembering all that she needed from the wind. And now, just enjoying its company.