Fly!

Today everything was singing. The mountains, white in snow and cloud speckled by trees and shadows like owl feathers, were singing “Love the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.” I heard them through the pavement; a low rumble like thunder. The trees reaching overhead were sleeping, but in their stillest places I knew they were more awake than I was. There was music in everything, and when I closed my eyes I opened other eyes and saw the most beautiful colors and songs wrapping themselves around everything. It took my breath away, and I almost stopped in my tracks, even though I was still on campus caught in the flow of between-class traffic. I had to resist the urge to spread my arms and let the colors and the soft inviting sky carry me away to heaven. I only resisted because there were people around. I was sure that if I stepped in just the right place I could kick off into the atmosphere and ride the wind over the mountains to find the places where snow is made. I would talk to the stars until it got too cold and I'd have to come back. There has been the most glorious stillness in the past two days; in the stillness I can hear and see things – colors and music and the love of the Lord, the voices of the mountains and the bones and joints of the earth moving so smoothly underneath, a vast old clock winding everything closer together. Peace, peace, peace. Everything had meaning, and I was a part of it all. There were messages from heaven in every little breeze or falling leaf, and I heard them. By the time I got home I could see that my shadow had wings.

Nothing is impossible anymore. Anything we can conceive of, we can accomplish. Most things we dream up, somebody has done already. Some say there is no originality left in the universe, but they are usually interrupted by people doing original things. The world will surprise you as much as you allow it to. We let walls fall so easily around us, we think they have always been there. There are no walls. There. Are. No. Walls...

Tomorrow I will spread my wings, and if I succeed I will return and show you all how close we are to the sun. But I guarantee somebody else will have beaten me to it.