if you surrender to the air, you can ride it. -Toni Morrison.

This first chapter is an invitation to life and to the act of surrender, one that must take place in order to experience this terrestrial adventure fully, wholeheartedly, and most importantly, in the pursuit of fun. This is why we will be talking about Rosana’s balloon. It is an ordinary object that has become a symbol of her artistic repertoire and the joyous life approach she has been promoting.

It turns out we all have a lot to learn about this balloon that has been progressively becoming the artist’s signature! Apart from being the one thing that best symbolizes fun, for Rosana, it is also a representation of life itself. Just as delicate and vulnerable as life can be, balloons fly by smoothly and dauntlessly, reckless of the different near or far menaces and hazards, eventually touching the sky. As unpredictable as the flow may be and as impermanent its existence is, what lies ahead in the sky for the balloon is worth all the faith and flying around. The balloon soars through the air, surrendering to life’s wise flow and bliss, devotedly moving in the direction destiny has laid out for it, and thus fulfilling its purpose. A balloon is undoubtedly an inanimate object, yet I’m certain that there is something bigger than us, call it God or the Universe, that is constantly communicating with us through mundane things and situations. For instance, I feel like the way a balloon moves through the air is a way of that superior entity instilling in us the feeling that resting in them and surrendering to their sage guidance is the natural way of things, what life should be about.

Therefore, our part in this beautiful existence should rely upon trust in a divine being that frequently demonstrates to us how nurturing it is, in knowing that there is something greater than us that delicately draws a path for us to follow, one that will bring us joy and fulfilment. This is why we ought to be faithful and malleable like a balloon, trustworthy of the direction life steers us onto, flexible and buoyant, and not let life’s inevitable obstacles take us down. We mustn’t go through life tied to limitations and carrying burdens that only weigh us down and leave us grounded. Instead, we should be light-hearted and follow the divine path of life through our intuition, which is meant to lift our spirits and set us free. This is the only way we can truly thrive and conquer our purest dreams. It seems likely that as unpredictable and impermanent as life may be, our fragile existences are worth the courage of living it fully and in faith. Faith in the process. Faith in life. Faith in love.

My invitation is for you to reflect on the analogy of the balloon and how you can apply it in your daily life, so you can soar and thrive through life, and hopefully achieve your purest dreams. I entice you to surrender to the path that will lead you to the dreamy life that you, as a spiritual being, are entitled to. Hop on the balloon, let yourself feel the free, delicate air, and always remember to have fun. Life is well worth this ride, and it is rooting for you to touch the sky.

Isabella Auqué