Wings/Flight: Obstacles

Flying is marvelous.  Watching birds fly is fascinating.  Flying in an airplane is still, to me, almost miraculous, and I have done it a lot.  Watching others hang glide drops my jaw every time (though, I am quite happy to watch rather than participate).  We have created a bird and butterfly friendly garden in our front yard, and the winged activity in the warm months is always abundant.  Flying is marvelous.

Flying, however, whether literal or metaphorical, is not without its obstacles.  We have a sun room at the back of our house facing out into the woods.  It’s tempting to leave the door open so that the outdoor sounds and smells accompany the view, but as I am often reminded by members of my household, that also invites winged creatures in.  To pay for this luxury of the open door, I have become the master of catching stray birds, bees, and wasps and returning them to the outdoors.

What lures them into this space could be the temperature, the light that shines through the room as if it were unencumbered space, the trees growing in the sun room.  There are enticements, but they deceive.  That glass allows light in but not flight through.  Those are real trees, but they grow in pots and they are not a safe place to build a nest.  The temperature change that allures might also kill after a short time.

So, I am reminded that when I take flight in my life I have to consider what draws me, what motivates, what appeals, and consider unseen or unconsidered obstacles.  I am not suggesting that we only aim for a perfect life–just that when we run into obstacles, they do require even bigger thinking than what set us into flight in the first place.  Great, inspiring, fantastic ideas often set us into flight, but what gets us into flight may not sustain us.  Once airborne, we have–yes–choices to make and problems to figure out.  I find that exciting as well–even if not immediately.

Flying is marvelous–and it comes with adventures.  Be on the lookout for yours, today!

Bob Patrick

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