Hot-Air Balloon Exercise

Imagine your resistance as a tangled mess of musty, torn, rough cloth spread around you. Gather it up and deposit it in the basket of hot-air balloon. Tuck in every edge that tries to sneak out. Give the high sign to the navigator, then watch the balloon rise up into the sky, with all of your resistance crumpled in the bottom of the basket. Watch as the balloon becomes smaller and smaller, a mere speck of the horizon. Watch and notice how you become lighter and lighter, until the balloon and your resistance disappear altogether. When you look back on the ground, there is a luscious length of silk in your favorite color, the color of self-trust. Pick it up. It smells like spring, like apple blossoms. Wrap yourself in it, hold your head high and walk straight to your private waiting room. Ariane Goodwin "Writing the Artist Statement"