I took a good look at the walnut tree in the park yesterday. The kite was still there. We saw it get stuck there a few days ago when we were out for a walk. I was thinking 'that kite is too close to that tree', and soon there was a little person sobbing because the kite was stuck. This tale has a moral: have fun, but avoid trouble when you can.
I have learned my own lessons from kites over the past 83 years. At my fourth birthday party, a bunch of us went across the road from Gram's place to fly my new kite in a vacant lot. The wind was weak that day. We got the kite launched, but when it came down snagging the string in the long grass, I was in despair. My birthday was ruined. Fortunately, I was with a bunch of older kids who wanted me to stop crying. They untangled the string and we got the kite up again. Moral: life is predictably unpredictable, and things go better when you are with competent friends who care about you.
I grew up but never grew out of flying kites. One day some neighbourhood kids got in on the fun, taking turns with my kite. A little girl had hold of the string when a gust of wind drove the kite into the ground breaking a strut. No worries, no tears. I had learned to keep spare hardwood dowel in the shed for repairs. Moral: things will break; be prepared to fix them.
When Dad was ill, dying of cancer, I had no idea what to get for his birthday so I gave him a kite to remind him of carefree days gone by. Of course, he never flew it. After he passed, Mum returned the kite to me. Many days I held the string looking up into the infinite blue thinking of Dad. One day the string broke and the kite departed alone. There is probably a moral there about good things coming to an end or something equally difficult to contemplate.
The replacement kite is once again waiting for spring in the garage. Made to look like a hawk flapping its wings, it is small and light, so it won't break the string. It has flexible, synthetic struts that have survived many crashes. The grandkids are impressed.
Maybe great-grandkids someday. Moral: leave the kids a world in which they can fly a kite.
I could weave these tales into a metaphor for other things we enjoy and how we manage the trouble that comes with them making improvements when we can, but this note is already over 400 words, so I leave that task to you.