Fly a Kite

Today I flew a kite by myself. I had always assumed that it took two to raise a kite: one to hold the string and one to toss it repeatedly into the air.  Apparently this is not the case; or perhaps it was only true when I was a child.

Here are the things I learned:

  • Flying a kite for the first time requires persistence and experimentation.  Sometimes, there is just not enough wind.  Sometimes you are in the wrong place.  Often, you will be convinced that your kite is not like other kites: perhaps it will never fly at all, or has very special needs.  You are probably wrong.  It may turn out that your kite flies better upside down.  This is fine.
  • When your kite is finally flying, you need to allow it string at a very particular rate.  If you keep it too close, it will probably crash.  If you give it too much slack, it will also probably crash.  I am not entirely sure why this is, but I imagine it has something to do with lift.  You need to maintain tension while letting it rise when the wind takes a good turn.  A rule of thumb is to give it slack about half as fast as it seems to want.
  • Sometimes when you are paying attention to a kite, you are not paying attention to where you are going.  Take care of yourself.  Watch out for mud.
  • When you have finally unwound most of your string, make sure the end is attached to something.  Otherwise your kite gets to have all the fun.  And then it will probably crash.
  • At some point, even if you have done everything right, your kite will probably crash.  At this point, it needs your help.  However, you do not need to start over: you have already found the right place and conditions to fly your kite, and it will be easier.  Don’t wind all the string back up.  Just grab the string near the kite, set it aloft, and let it gradually through your fingers until it’s back where it was before.  In some ways, this process is actually more rewarding than raising it the first time.
  • If you’re not flying a kite, you may not be able to see why flying a kite is fun.  But it is.  Watching someone else’s kite is not the same.  It’s not just about how well you’ve done, and it’s not just about the kite.  It’s somewhere in between.

My kite is shaped like a pterodactyl.  Its name is Utica, because that’s where Lucy and I bought it.  Kite ownership is complicated — at this point, we should probably be sharing custody.  But we’ll work something out.  Maybe we’ll both fly solo for a while.  Maybe we’ll find other people to fly with us.  Maybe, after some time has passed, we’ll decide to go fly Utica together the way we had intended in the first place, just for an afternoon.  It doesn’t take two to fly a kite, but I imagine it helps.

Maybe I should call my parents more.

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