It's the Simple Things

This past weekend, the Cherry Blossom Festival kicked off in DC. For those who aren't familiar with it, the Cherry Blossom is a type of tree that was donated to the US by Japan as a gift of friendship and every spring, these trees blossom into a bright pink hued extravaganza that beautifies an already beautiful DC. Every year, tourists by the thousands come to the city to see the spectacle and take part in the excitement. Most locals treat is as something all too common simply because it's taken for granted since we live so close by. Still, there are the occasional events that seem to draw on all walks of people in the area regardless of what they do and that's the Kite Flying Festival. Typically held on the first weekend of the weeklong Cherry Blossom festival this event features thousands of different types of kites being flown by anyone and everyone.

There is usually an area that is cordoned off for the professional kite flyers with their massive kites to fly their often enormous works of flying art and then the rest of the National Mall is left open to the public to come and fly their kites. What amazes me more and more each year is the fact that in this fast growing, technologically advanced (and continually advancing) society of ours, a simple cloth and wood contraption can still manage to fascinate people to no end. View any picture of the event and you'll see young and old, big and small, rich and not-so-rich all enjoying the spectacle of seeing their kite take to the air or come sailing to the ground.

On a normal day it's difficult at best to get kids to leave their games systems, TV or laptops to come outside and enjoy a day but it's this one day that seems to draw everyone out there. To me it proves that there is more to this world than all the technology and that no matter how advanced we become, there is still a part of us that is fascinated with the simple act of flying, whether it is a fancy kite or a simple one. You see that same twinkle in the eye of the 'pilot' when their kite takes to the wind and takes off for higher and higher vantage points. You can see the joy in their eyes and see the smiles erupt on their faces. It can be a frustrating endeavour for some, but once that moment comes where your kite takes to the air, there's nothing like it.

I think it's important that we cling to these things and ensure that days such as these are celebrated and enjoyed by everyone. You tend to become jaded when you sink into all the technologies of daily life. Some of the work has gone out of life which can be a good thing, but it's the simple things, like going and flying a kite, that makes you a kid again and helps you unlock that fascination that resides in a part of each and every one of us. We sometimes try to lock those parts away but it's important to cling to them and let them out every once in a while. After all, it's part of what makes it great to be a part of the human race.