Jennifer, 27 years, Ride on a hot air balloon

Sky had strangely enticed me since my very childhood. I used to look through depths of the ocean above my head, and all its fantastic colors and unique patterns made me feel same unique. My brightest desire was to take off on a red-colored balloon, like my friend Anne once was. One day she showed some pictures from her first flight, artistic pictures of earth from the bird’s-eye view. She told of her dizzying adventure, how she cried in fear when she came onboard, and how her heart sank in fascination, when she finally looked down the basket…

But my parents said: “C’mon, it’s time for you to back on earth.” They were practical-minded, and I’d slowly absorbed this attitude along with growing. In short, to my 27’th birthday I became a good dentist in father’s clinic, with constant evening calls and daily house duties. Of course, no childish fantasies didn’t affect me anymore.

That’s how I lived, till Anne advised me Greatest Desires site. She made a couple of ambitious friends on there and travelled with them around the world deserts. I knew the main purpose of the site, but I hadn’t desire to fulfil. Anne encouraged me then to type my ‘well-known one’, and it really made me laugh. Still I created the account, just to assure her this idea wouldn’t catch me anymore.

Soon I received a message from a nice guy Kyle. He had an acrophobia, so hard he couldn’t stand on a bridge without tremor. I’d decided to support him in all difficulties towards his desire to say farewell to his phobia. And he did it. He sent me a big hello from the big balloon and his great childish smile. It was the first time my heart melted.

Few months after I visited Kyle in Napa. He quickly asked me if I flew yet. I felt shy a little to tell him I’m not really keen on it, but he only chuckled. Next day he called me in the morning to show ‘something special’. Despite my lazy resentment, soon we were driving outside the city. When we stopped, the first and only thing I saw was the hot air balloons, levitating above my head. Kyle pulled out tickets, and my heart squeezed. He knew me so good, he read it all on my face. It weren’t just tickets, it was the choice of my entire life, waiting for me to pick it. And I did it.

I was touching the sky with my entire body. Time around stopped: infinite sunrise, infinite morning valleys, and cold foggy mountains. I was even with them all, a small living being, but with infinite spirit, embracing all the Earth beneath. At skies, I finally felt at home.

Flight flipped me over. Kyle gave me one more hope, all thanks to Greatest Desires, site that connected us. Though now we meet rarely, I’m not going to stop — there’re too much greatest desires I need to fulfil.