Air Show

On the weekend we took the kids to the second Airdrie Air Show. The first one was two years ago, and we craned our necks from the van to see the Snowbirds while in an endless line of traffic trying to reach the parking lot. I think that the organizers of the event were stunned by the amount of people in attendance, and the two vendor stands and handful of parking volunteers were not nearly enough for the throngs of people.

This time, we took advantage of the free shuttle bus to avoid the parking issues, and settled into our lawn chairs close enough to hear the announcer, and tried not to melt in the thirty degree heat. By the time the F-16 zoomed by us at 850 MPH, the sound vibrating through our bodies in its wake, we were all primed and ready for a memorable experience (except for William, who sobbed with his heavy ear protection on, begging to go home. Supersonic jets are simply not his thing).

By the time the Snowbirds came, matching their dipping acrobatic beauty to the music, I found my soul stirring toward creativity in all of its many forms. It was as though my soul was turning over and sitting up, waking after the winter, and being attuned to the inspiration which is all around. There is so much cynicism in the world, and skepticism is the enemy of creativity.

Cynicism says, "All of the good ideas have already been taken." It scowls and proclaims, "There is no originality left; everything is recycled." Watching those planes dance with each other, inspiring the crowd to stand and cheer, I decided once and for all to refuse to believe those lies. For as long as humans are alive, there remains the hope and the possibility of originality. We are original beings, searching for meaning and purpose, and struggling to express what is inside of us that ends up being identifiable to other people.

I'm grateful for those moments of breathtaking inspiration while watching the Snowbirds. They reminded me that I am part of the human race, and we are not all going to hell in a handbasket. There is so much to be thankful for, and inspired by, and moved to the deepest layers of our being, provided we will choose those things instead of negativity and cynicism. The bad stuff won't take you anywhere you really want to be. Those qualities mire you in quicksand, and will pull you under if you let them.

I want to fly, up there with the Snowbirds, in all of the possibilities open to me every single day. I can hope, and dream, and believe in myself. I can love, and extend grace to others, and seek beauty. I can know that anything is possible instead of telling myself that the good ideas have already been taken. I plan to add my voice to the rest, and find my own original place, and I believe that this world would be much better off if we all aimed for the stars on a daily basis.