Under Pressure

I guarantee there is a reason why I drew a hot air balloon. Here I am, contemplating my reaction to a high pressure work environment, when the following quote enters my brain, "Some things explode under pressure...others soar..and others are yet unmoved," and then into my mind pops a serene image: a hot air balloon floating gracefully among the clouds. I let my mind ponder that picture for a moment, and I decide, "I am going to draw this..." Then, I vacillate. Will my balloon succumb to the fire that propels it? The image of a balloon dancing among flames enters for a brief second, but I discard that representation and resume the prior imagining of the blithe mass soaring above the earth.

I draw the balloon.

As I am intently constructing this vehicle of emotion, I ponder..."Is this a coincidence? Am I drawing a balloon in flight because I simply thought of this likeness randomly?" In answer, I discover that is not the case at all. Somewhere between conscious and subconscious, my mind has fixed upon the perfect metaphor for my present plight in life. Consider the hot air balloon: this machine of primitive invention requires nothing more than hot and cold air within an airy envelope to waft itself into the atmosphere. How is the air manipulated? With pressure. By blowing hot air into a space filled with cold, molecules perform a rhythmic gyration increasing the density of air pressure diffusing within a fixed space. As such motion incurs, the balloon is swept up into the airy heavens for a halcyon journey above all cares and distress associated with life on the ground. Passengers of such machines can literally indulge in dreamy wonders with their heads in the clouds!

With that said, how does this operative vehicle represent my station in life at present? I am under intense pressure on the job to perform. This pressure is both external and internal, but I am perplexed about how to respond. I feel as though my corporeal body will actually explode, disintegrating into shards of myself, but this image came to me at the most opportune time. I can only imagine and hope that perhaps, this image is meant to encourage...perhaps, this is an opportunity to soar. I don't just mean an opportunity to outperform, but I hope this is my opportunity to soar above the burdens at work, and desist in allowing the compression to discourage me. Maybe I can transcend this menial encumbrance.