There is a balloon in the sky. It’s attached to a 

pink ribbon and the ribbon is floating aimlessly in the breeze,

like a leaf in the river. Moving lazily. My gaze floats

along with it. Am I the only one that notices this balloon? 

Happy Birthday! is written on its plump face. It is a deep

blue color, with vibrant lettering. It draws my attention. 

I turn my head and see that yes, indeed, I am the 

only one to watch this poor balloon fly free. It escaped from an 

awful birthday party, I tell myself, one with a clown

wearing a red rubber nose and creating animals

out of balloons. The clouds move across the sky as I

watch this poor balloon float farther from its home. What 

if it was lovely though? A house with a blooming 

garden and a wooden fence? The birthday party just a fever 

dream in the eyes of the people living in that house. And so 

I realize, these people around me have not noticed 

what I have noticed, and vice versa. I could not tell you 

where the woman rooting through the trash came from,

or where the man in the coffee shop window is going tomorrow 

night. I could not tell you what they’ve wished for, or where 

they hope to be someday. Just like the balloon. I did not see 

where the balloon came from, and I will not see where it ends 

up, yet right now I can see it progressing. I am observing

it living in this moment. As I, myself, live in this moment. The 

balloon will end up where it ends up, and so will the man 

in the coffee shop, and the woman with the bags of cans. 

Just like me. I am still progressing, I have yet to end. And 

in this moment, we are all just living.