If Birds Can Fly…
by Kym on January 19, 2009
I’d like to tell you a story. It’s an old story. The sort that’s been around long enough to get a bit battered and tattered around the edges. Long enough that it’s not quite remembered who first told it.
It starts with a bird. No one’s quite sure what the bird’s name was, or if birds even have names at all, but for the sake of simplicity and because I have an overpowing desire to name things, his name shall be Percy. Percy the goose.
Now Percy belonged to a flock who, for no reason anyone’s been able to ascertain, had not gotten around to learning how to fly. They lived in a very secluded place perhaps, and didn’t see other birds flapping about to give them the idea of it. Instead, they waddled everywhere they went, and it was quite the sight to behold.
One day, Percy was out having a good waddle, as Percy was wont to do. He was more adventurous than the other geese, and would waddle far and wide. Until he got hungry anyway and then he would waddle back home again. On this particular day, he went further than he ever had before, coming at last to a large hedge that he decided to push his way through. When at last he cleared the hedge he was shocked to find that the hedge had been concealing a ledge. Which he promptly fell off of.
He honked like mad as he plummeted towards the rocks below, and he twisted and turned in the air and flapped his wings and…
Zoom! He was off up into the air. He nearly fell again because he stopped flapping, so overcome by astonishment was he. Pretty soon though, his adventurous spirit kicked in and he was zipping through the air, flying figure eights and loopty-looping like mad, honking his joy into the otherwise empty sky.
Soon enough he realized that his family were all scrabbling about on the ground with no idea what potential they had. He flew to where the flock was gathered for an important meeting, creating quite a spectacle when he landed in the midst of them. He demonstrated what he had learned about their wings and soon enough they were all flying figure eights and loopty-looping like mad.
And then, at the end of the meeting, they all waddled home.
I’m an awful lot like those geese at times. I have these great epiphany’s where everything suddenly makes sense and I realize I can do great things! And then I waddle home. I forget somehow that I just learned how to fly. Or how to be happier, or keep my house cleaner, or be a better mum, whatever the case may be.
Short of covering my house in sticky notes I’m not quite sure how to go about remembering. Any thoughts?
27 comments
I hear you! I figure something out and am SO GLAD that it was so much easier than I thought it would be, and then, far too soon, I have forgotten and gone back to where I was before. This is one of the things I love about having goals, I can review them and remember where I’m supposed to be. For example, it has been amazing to have a clean kitchen all the time. Well, not all the time, but there are never yesterdays dirty dishes or pans, and the table is nearly always tidy and wiped off. This may sound pathetic, but it’s great for me. All it took was the plan of having the kitchen clean when the kids get home from school and it’s SO MUCH easier to keep it clean. And I don’t want to go back to waddling. ;)
by LisAway on January 19, 2009 at 5:29 am. #
Yah, sorry, no answers here. I’m the queen of the great idea that slowly faded away. Great, great analogy. Maybe it will help me remember ….
Steph @ Diapers and Divinity´s last blog post..Memory Lane Monday: ski bunnies, cha-cha-cha, and enduring love
by Steph @ Diapers and Divinity on January 19, 2009 at 5:49 am. #
Just remember to keep flying a little longer than last time every time you start. I think that’s the best we can do.
Eowyn´s last blog post..It’s not gratitude, it’s abundance, part 1
by Eowyn on January 19, 2009 at 5:56 am. #
I love the analogy. The best idea I can come up with is to keep rereading your blog every day. Maybe that will remind you where you were yesterday?
I try to write a journal everyday, which sometimes helps. A little.
Sarah´s last blog post..Baby Steps
by Sarah on January 19, 2009 at 6:33 am. #
Um, write it on your arm? I do that sometimes. And the Post-It note thing. I do that, too.
You can fly, darling!
Novembrance´s last blog post..There Is a Doctor in the House
by Novembrance on January 19, 2009 at 6:39 am. #
Twins once again… the other day I was struck by the words of a song. Something about living each day to the fullest. And I thought “Yes! This is what I need to do…” Aaaaaaannnnnnnd I didn’t. Then, yesterday at church, someone quoted Elder Wirthlin from this last General Conference, “Come what may and love it.” Again, I thought that this was perfect for me at this moment. But, if I hadn’t read your blog post this morning, I would not have remembered it. Repetition is always a good thing. That’s why we have lessons at church over and over. That’s why we read our scriptures over and over. And that’s why we pray several times each day.
I think our brains are like colanders and the first time we figure something out, it’s still kinda small… so it slips through. The next time we figure it out, we add to it’s size, but probably still slips through. I’m afraid my colander brain has pretty big holes… so it takes a long time for me to get things big enough to stick around. Hence the NUMEROUS repetitions for my poor brain.
And what’s wrong with sticky notes? :) If you’d rather not do that, then write things in a journal of sorts. Make it a “lessons I’ve learned” journal. Make the entries short and sweet (not like my comment here) and then take the time to read through it as often as you can. Then those “aha!” moments will hopefully stick around a little more.
Hmm. That’s not a horrible idea. Perhaps I should do that too…
Melissa´s last blog post..
by Melissa on January 19, 2009 at 8:06 am. #
Wow! They say that’s why you should keep a journal, so you can remember the little epiphanies. Unfortunately I can’t even remember to keep a journal!
I’m with Melissa, though. What’s wrong with sticky notes? At least until you have a pattern going.
JustRandi´s last blog post..Friday Flair – Looking Ahead
by JustRandi on January 19, 2009 at 8:16 am. #
funny how one person can hand you a quote and suddenly it seems applicable to everyone!
We do not grow absolutely, chronologically.
We grow sometimes in one dimension,
and not in another,
unevenly.
We grow partially.
We are relative.
We are mature in one realm,
childish in another.
The past, present, and future mingle
and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present.
We are made up of layers,
cells,
constellations.
-Anais Nin
Jenn´s last blog post..~Laughter is the Best Medicine~
by Jenn on January 19, 2009 at 8:16 am. #
First off, this was delightful! Love it! Second, I am sure you have heard the rocks in the jar analogy–if you put the rocks in first, then the pebbles, then the sand, then the jug of water will fit. If you put the water in first, then the sand and then the pebbles, you will never get all of the rocks in. When I correctly identify what my rocks are and put them in first, it all works out. It doesn’t mean that I get to all the water every single day, or even all the sand or all the pebbles, but the rocks are there and the Lord always (ALWAYS) blesses me wtih increased capacity when I put the rocks in first. The trick is knowing which are the rocks and which are the pebbles, the sand, the water, etc . . .being in tune helps. That makes prayer and scripture reading pretty much at the top of the list.
Heidi Ashworth´s last blog post..It’s About Time
by Heidi Ashworth on January 19, 2009 at 8:24 am. #
Silly goose!
Melanie J´s last blog post..You don’t belong here!
by Melanie J on January 19, 2009 at 9:07 am. #
LOVE this story!
I don’t know what to tell you except that sometimes the remembering comes the next morning, either from dreaming about how wonderful it was to fly or the memories themselves. Sometimes that can get us flying again.
Life is a combination of flying and waddling. It will never be just one or the other. We all have waddling moments.
Or in my case, years!
Rebecca´s last blog post..C-a-a-n You Feel the Love To-n-i-i-i-g-h-t
by Rebecca on January 19, 2009 at 9:32 am. #
What a lovely story! Sometimes I have to bang pretty hard to get things into my thick skull. And the larger the thing, sometimes the longer it takes. Mind you, I think of reincarnation rather the same way…
Lemongrass´s last blog post..Down the steps into the river
by Lemongrass on January 19, 2009 at 9:34 am. #
I like Heidi’s comment. Baby steps the only advice I have–fly a few feet and then waddle home one day, fly a few more the next. Great analogy.
Annette´s last blog post..Extra! Extra!
by Annette on January 19, 2009 at 9:34 am. #
I love this story! I totally remember the Young Woman’s Conference, and we all go those binders, this story is in there.
It was the only Young Woman’s Camp I ever went to because we didn’t actually have to camp!
And I’m like “Percy” a lot of the time too!
by Abra on January 19, 2009 at 10:59 am. #
and by Percy, I meant the geese, sorry, mind is shot right now
by Abra on January 19, 2009 at 11:00 am. #
I enjoy reading your infinite words of deep thoughts and wisdom. So often we come across lessons and too quickly we forget them. I am sure that we retain the knowledge somewhere and sometime when we are at our wits ends the memory will creep in!
Kelline Boel´s last blog post..
by Kelline Boel on January 19, 2009 at 11:36 am. #
You wrote that so well hon. Is it already a story or is it one of yours? Because if it’s one of yours then you have a children’s book right there. And if it’s already a children’s book, then well, see, I ws right. ;D
And I think it’s the one step forward two steps back thing, or getting back in the saddle, or baby steps etc. I write stuff on my arm to remind me, on post-its, on bits of paper scattered about the house, but in the end I think that it’s confidence and sometimes we just need to build that up slowly. When we do then we will take the next step because we are ready to do so. Sometimes we have to push ourselves a little, but the more you push the further you will get.
Jo Beaufoix´s last blog post..Questions from a Pirate Wench
by Jo Beaufoix on January 19, 2009 at 3:43 pm. #
this is what i do : i tape post-it notes to the underside of my wings, so that when they rub against my body and annoy me, i remember i can fly.
it happens to me all the time, and i’ve had to use lotion for the chaffing.
holly´s last blog post..trauma at the train station
by holly on January 19, 2009 at 3:48 pm. #
Did you write that analogy? I’ve never heard it but I think it’s great!
Summer´s last blog post..Someone to laugh and fake cry with
by Summer on January 19, 2009 at 3:49 pm. #
I forget to fly pretty much every day. I have to hope that the knowledge that I CAN fly at all means something for now. Until I actually fly on a regular basis, I’ll have to be okay with knowing I can. I guess…
Heather of the EO´s last blog post..
by Heather of the EO on January 19, 2009 at 4:27 pm. #
Oh, how true is that? So often I get inspired by something and mentally soar to new heights. . . and then waddle home to fold the laundry or something.
I’ll keep Percy in mind next time I feel like flying, and make sure he stays afloat.
Thanks!
pam at beyondjustmom´s last blog post..the dream still resonates
by pam at beyondjustmom on January 19, 2009 at 7:32 pm. #
Off the point really, but which is more appealing to the male eye? Waddling or flying… Hmm, waddling wins every time…
by Andrew Fachau on January 19, 2009 at 8:28 pm. #
This totally reminds me of the way I solve the world’s problems in my dreams (reconfigure my meds and supplements so they heal me for good, write the perfect conclusion to a term paper, etc.) and then wake up and can’t remember for the life of me what I did in my dream that was so earth-shatteringly brilliant!
Ah, waddle…
charrette´s last blog post..I am 29. (Don’t laugh.)
by charrette on January 19, 2009 at 10:07 pm. #
So beautifully and poetically written!
What helps me remember these lessons that I keep having to learn over and over again? Here are a couple of things (which I keep meaning to post about):
- Keep a daily remembrance journal. (Elder Eyring’s talk “O Remember, Remember” inspired this awhile ago.)
- Have more meaningful prayers. (See Elder Bednar’s latest conference talks.) The Lord will make sure you remember how to fly :) !!
Now, I must dutifully and diligently follow my own advice :) !!
An Ordinary Mom´s last blog post..Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?
by An Ordinary Mom on January 20, 2009 at 1:35 pm. #
Umm, I don’t have any ideas for remembering, other than maybe writing it down or just remembering it. Great story though.
Jaina´s last blog post..Rush Week Overload
by Jaina on January 21, 2009 at 1:46 pm. #
I’ve been waddling home for years…suppose if I flap my arms really really fast?
Loved this post…Good for Percy!
Congrats on the post of the mention at David’s. I’m glad I found it.
Sandi
Sandi McBride´s last blog post..Portrait of Words Entry 5 A Poem…The Flowers
by Sandi McBride on January 22, 2009 at 2:55 am. #
Thank you for an inspiring post. You did a great job of “thinking backward” in order to write in a way that helps us see the point. I will be back for more!
Roxy´s last blog post..Photoshop for Beginners
by Roxy on January 22, 2009 at 6:48 am. #