You Can Still Fly!

Yesterday, I began a discussion of what superpower people would like to have. Last night, I participated in a Zoom meeting with members of my church and, in an odd coincidence, our rector began with an "ice-breaker" question: What superpower would you like to have?

Naturally, I brought up my blog post and talked about flight. Some other suggestions were teleportation (from a woman who is currently quarantined because she works with covid patients), empathic communication, super-speed, and walking on water. The rector said that would have been useful when she lived in the Seattle area, where they seems to be a water obstacle between where you are and where you want to go all the time. Having grown up on Staten Island, I quite agreed.

Once again, what extraordinary ability would you like to have?

You Can Fly!

Ask nearly anyone what superpower they would most want to have and "flight" seems to come up as the answer. Since we were little, we have wished we could soar with the birds. And the idea of the joy of flight goes back to childhood.

What first delights an audience at a production of Peter Pan? When Peter sails through the window of the Darling nursery. What's the most stirring image in The Wizard of Oz? The Wicked Witch of the West on her broomstick. What brings an audience to cheer in Dumbo? When he first spreads those magnificent ears and swoops through the air.

So, what's your favorite "flying scene"?