Go fly a kite and be changed.
As an avid kite flier, Nicole “Nic” O’Neill notices a transformation in herself when she flies a kite. It doesn’t matter if she’s standing on a beach making loop-de-loops in the sky or being pulled up a snow-covered mountain on skis. Whenever she’s holding onto those kite strings, she feels as free as a bird.
“When people fly a kite, they’re allowing themselves to be free,” she said. “They’re releasing any frustration and tension they might have and letting go of things holding them down. Experiencing that freedom changes our lives and how we see the world.
“You can’t help but smile when you’re flying a kite. It’s a happiness that is so pure and so freeing that it spreads.”
O’Neill, of Anacortes, is the president of the American Kitefliers Association. As the leader of the largest kite club in the world, O’Neill works to promote kiting as a way to build community, break down barriers and stay present in the moment.
Not only is flying a kite fun to do, she said, it also can teach you a lesson on living.
O’Neill, 34, shared that lesson in a TEDx Talk titled “Boundless Wonder: How Kites Let Us Soar.” She was one of 11 speakers to share the stage at a TEDx conference hosted by Sno-Isle Libraries in Mukilteo last year. (The added “x” means the TED events are locally organized with a license.)
TED Talks are short presentations from experts on everything from education and business to science and technology that are designed to spread ideas, spark conversations and provide opportunities to explore, connect and cultivate new ways of thinking. Many of the talks have been shared via video around the globe.
“Kite flying transcends all the boundaries that we may willingly or unwillingly place on ourselves,” O’Neill said. “It transcends race, culture, religion, language, physical ability, political affiliation, age. There is literally a kite out there for everybody.”
Why fly a kite?
I take the approach of why not. It is kite flying, after all. You have nothing to lose, so go fly a kite. I have witnessed in thousands of people a transformation that happens when you fly kites. It is unique to each person. For some it is about connecting or reconnecting with a simpler version of life, or about making connections within yourself, or about experiencing a new view on life.
Tell me about your transformation
I got into kite flying as an adult about 10 years ago. I had flown a kite as a child and loved it, so I looked at kite flying as something special and something fun to do. I wasn’t passionate about it right away — it was more of an escape mechanism at first — but as I found my footing in the world, I noticed that my path was also becoming firmly entangled with some kite lines. Whenever I begin to doubt myself, or the status of the world, or society or anything really, I go fly a kite. It has transformed me into a better person.
One time at a kite event, a child lit up when he saw me flying a kite and became my shadow for the next three days. He dutifully showed up every day and talked to me nonstop about the kite. I didn’t know how special a moment this was until his grandmother pulled me aside and told me the boy was essentially mute. That he had not spoken more than five words in several years. It’s because of moments like that that I feel it is my duty to help spread the love and joy of kite flying.
What advice can you share on kite flying?
Have patience. Give the kite time and give it line. A lot of times, when we want something to work, we think that holding it close to us and not giving it enough space is the best way to make it work. So let the line out and see what happens. Pick a good place to fly a kite. The best places to fly are areas where there is steady wind and it is unobstructed by tall trees or buildings. Yet, the most fun places to fly are where you least expect to see a kite — like indoors. Also, just go try it. There are a lot of good videos and sites online to help you, but nothing beats getting out there, trying, failing, trying again and just learning by doing. Lastly, invest in a good kite. There is value in putting the money down for a quality kite. You will feel more inclined to stick with it than if you spend only a few dollars.
I read that you carry a kite with you everywhere
That’s right. I always have one or two indoor kites with me in my backpack. They can range in size, but they’re all super lightweight because they respond to the “apparent wind” created by the flier moving around the floor and pulling on the line. I know it sounds weird, but when you see it in person it is a moving experience. Every single time I do it, I see people stare with this mixed expression of curiosity and wonder. There also is at least one kite in my car at all times. It’s not uncommon for me to take a kite out to show someone, hand them the strings so they can give it a try, then end up giving the kite away.
Tell me more about the American Kitefliers Association
Ultimately, the goal of the AKA is to spread the love and joy of kite flying. The point is to help foster the idea that kiting is for everyone — from the kid who just built their first kite out of newspaper and twigs to the avid kite flier who spends every conceivable hour practicing their craft. Those people, and everyone in between, all share the same love of kite flying.
My message has been centered around the notion that we fly higher together. If we all come together and try this kite thing, it is pretty amazing to see what happens. Though we’re all different in our own ways, it doesn’t mean that we can’t come together through kites. We are all standing on the same ground looking to the same sky. We are all painting the sky with a piece of ourselves.
Sara Bruestle: 425-339-3046 or sbruestle@heraldnet.com.
About Nic O’Neill
O’Neill, 35, of Anacortes, is the president of the American Kitefliers Association and chairwoman of National Kite Month in April. She also recently launched her own kite building and kite flying business.
She holds bachelor’s degrees in international affairs and political science from the University of Colorado-Boulder. She served in the Navy as a translator for seven years. She works as an administrative assistant at Shell Puget Sound Refinery. She coaches and plays roller derby for the Whidbey Island Rollergirls. She speaks four languages and is learning a fifth.
Watch O’Neill’s TEDx Talk at www.tinyurl.com/tedx-niconeill.
For more information about the American Kitefliers Association, go to www.kite.org.
Sno-Isle Libraries TEDx Conference
Sno-Isle Libraries, which serves Snohomish and Island counties, has hosted TED events each November for the past three years. Hundreds attended the events in which speakers came together on a global stage to share ideas worth spreading. Thousands more have watched the presentations via video.
There won’t be a TEDx event in 2018. Library staff focused on funding needs and a change in leadership this year. A measure to restore a levy rate to pay for library operations was on the April ballot, and Sno-Isle’s executive director plans to retire in November.
The three years’ worth of TEDxSnoIsleLibraries videos continue to be popular. Watch them all online at www.sno-isle.org/tedx.
Washington North Coast Magazine
This article is featured in the fall issue of Washington North Coast Magazine, a supplement of The Daily Herald. Explore Snohomish and Island counties with each quarterly magazine. Each issue is $3.99. Subscribe to receive all four editions for $14 per year. Call 425-339-3200 or go to www.washingtonnorthcoast.com for more information.
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