flying

EmPulse for Week of September 20, 2010

flying

Wouldn’t it be great if we could fly?! When I was maybe 7 or 8 I used to tie a blanket around my neck, pretend I was Superman, and jump off my neighbor’s second story porch. Hoping…, always hoping; maybe next time; if I concentrate r-e-a-l hard. No, I never broke anything; I did limp a lot though. I didn’t care: I really wanted to FLY !

Putting aside all the philosophical/theological discourse that might ensue from a personal desire to be superman, it would still be great to fly. Simply to walk outside and gently lift off, in full control of your body, directing it to move this way or that. Imagine! Not for everybody, though; just for a select few. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be that special. And think of the rush hour gridlock; people coming at you from every which-way. At any rate, capes are still cool!

When it comes to our lives most of us still want to FLY. We want to matter, to make a difference, to be successful. No one starts out dreaming of being a loser, a failure, a nobody; that’s beat into us by other people. Some of us actually listen to them and come to believe it. Some of us rise above the negativity and fight back; we overcome the naysayers with a spirit of positive energy & drive. We get to FLY!  [Why do some people become failures, down-&-outers, victims, and lose their dreams, and others don’t? Another time, another time.]

Of course, flying…, just stepping outside and taking off, doesn’t seem to be in my near future, and most likely not yours either. If we want to fly we use airplanes, pay extra for our bags (God bless Southwest), and then take off. Boeings, Learjets, McDonald-Douglas, Airbus, and the rest all have at least two things in common— a lot of forethought & design work, and a lot of maintenance. Were it otherwise most of us would be averse to flying altogether. The first flyers, Orville & Wilbur, were truly out of their minds; but they did it anyway.

It’s the same with us. If we truly want to FLY in life, to take off and make a difference, we have to be a little out of our minds: but we also have to put in the time on forethought, design, & definitely on life-maintenance. To neglect these time & effort consuming endeavors is to assure the probability of a crash ‘n burn. So take heed, lest you jump off a second story porch without a well designed cape…, which, in a pinch, I guess, could double as a parachute. Or, for those of us who are less visual—

1.       THINK. Think some more. Keep thinking, whether ½ day of ½ a year. Then commit! There comes a time when thinking just gets in the way of action. FLYI
NG

2.       Listen to the advice of friends, experts, those who have gone before. But remember where the buck stops.

3.       Refine, adjust, add, delete, modify, scrap— whatever you need to do to stay in the air.

4.       Remember to sacrifice for others; it will lighten your flight and keep things in perspective.

5.       More ideas- ___________________________________________ (Your turn! Write me.)

Have a nice week.

Gary