Several days ago it happened again. I decided to fly and flew.

Before you hit the back button on your browser, hear me through on this one.

When I was a boy I had a dream. I was falling. It may have been inspired by the Roadrunner cartoons. In Wylie-Coyote-view I saw myself descending toward the rooftop of the home where I grew up. Suddenly it occurred to me, even though the fall was progressing along so nicely, I didn't want to be there when the landing occurred. So I woke up.

Sometime later I was in the middle of a serial episode of the same dream. Only this time I realized it was a dream. If I didn't have to be there for the landing, I reasoned, why not pull out of the dive? So just like that, I found myself flying instead of falling.

After several decades of flying, I haven't really refined the craft. It doesn't require any gimmicks or conveyances--with apologies to Walt and Peter Pan, no pixie dust needed. Oh, and I almost forgot--stop flapping your arms (It just doesn't look very dignified). Though flight is possible, it doesn't get any easier after a lifetime of practice. It takes the same concentrated effort to keep up now as it first took to pull out of that Wylie-Coyote plunge.

I'm awake now. Thanks for bearing with my musings.

A friend was talking with my boys several years ago. She said that people can't fly. "Oh, but they can," I replied, then adding to myself, "I've been doing it for years."

Can you fly? What's stopping you?

All right. Both feet on the ground. The difference between dreaming and lucidity, is that in real life people just don't levitate. It isn't polite to drift away in the middle of a conversation. Besides, people get all bent out of shape if they see you doing what they've never dreamed possible. If you saw "The Rise and Rise of Danny Rocket" on PBS a dozen years ago, you know that Tom Hulce's downfall was flying in public. You have to understand: flying is a personal thing.

You already realize, while I've been going on about flying, we're really talking about something else. To fly is to doing whatever you dream possible. It could be finding lasting love when no prospect is in sight. It may be identifying that driving desire to make a positive difference in the world. Or it can be as simple as giving your children hugs and meaningful attention to connect with their deepest needs. For every person it has different meaning. What motivates you do what is most meaningful? By acting on promptings of the Holy Spirit we can accomplish much good. Also, by following the whisperings of the Spirit, we also tune in to spiritual frequencies, to be more attentive to God's purpose in our own life.

Does the fear of falling keep your dreams grounded? Fear is one of the most effective motivators. It leads to inaction and immobility. Few know how to turn their fear into a positive motivator. One way might be to look at how faltering has held you back from your dearest desires in the past. Just think how being afraid will steal your future dreams. Now you can turn fear into a powerful ally and act now, to ensure your hopes in the years to come.

Flight School

You can fly, if you're not afraid to fall.

What is it you fear most? What fears are holding you back from your dreams? Is the ballast of your fears, the only thing keeping you from flying?

Do it. Get off the ground. Try flying, even if it's for moments at a time. You'll get better with practice.

Once you know how to fly, you need to let go of the fear of falling.

The perspective is different from up there. Many of the things that loom large in earth-bound perspectives look tiny when you're flying.

Finally, when you begin to recognize the joys of flight, don't leave your friends and loved ones stranded on the ground. Lift and edify one another. In the words of an old commercial, "It's the only way to fly."

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