Sunday, November 04, 2007

Sky High

In reality, I probably should be in bed, healing before I have to work at the Eagles game later today, but such is my determination to do this NaBloPoMo thing right that I am dizzily sitting up typing this post.

Because my brain cells are currently firing at a very low level, I decided that I needed to find a prompt. So, here it is:

If I Had a Super Power-- from 55 More Blog Posts I Hope You Write

Okay, so mine is a pretty common one: I'd like to fly.

I think one of the reasons that I took up swimming when I was a kid was because it was the closest thing I thought I would ever get to actually soaring through the air. When you sink to about a foot off the bottom of the pool and just glide, it's easy to pretend that you're looking down at the ground. The lane markers become remarkably straight rivers, the tiles city grid maps. You can hang on to this fantasy for as long as you hold your breath. Then you need to surrender to your burning lungs and burst through the surface. The freezing air on your skin and the shouts of a public pool remind you that you aren't flying after all.

Sometimes I dream of flying. It's fun for a while, but then I suffer from what I call the Hitchhiker's Guide Syndrome-- namely, if you think about it too much, you start to plummet. I glide for a while, but then I begin wondering exactly how I am moving. Do I have some sort of jet propulsion in the soles of my feet? Am I being pushed by air currents? If I move my arms breaststroke-style, can I go faster? All the while I am steadily losing altitude.

It bothers me sometimes. Why can't I just enjoy flight and give up on the science of the whole thing?

Maybe next time I have this dream, I will concentrate on how fluffy the clouds look from this angle or count the number of bald heads I see from above. Anything to keep flying.

K.

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:58 AM

    That is a really cool observation about gliding above the bottom of the pool. I'd never considered that before.

    I'm not sure what I'd want my super power would be, but flying probably wouldn't be the best idea for me seeing as how I'm terrified of heights. I suspect the combination of the two could make for a good skit on SNL though.

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  2. gwyn: That would make a great skit. Better than some of the stuff that's on SNL now.

    K.

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  3. Anonymous8:52 PM

    I think I'd want to read peoples minds. Selectively. But flying? That sounds wonderful, especially the way you put it.

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  4. rachel: Ooh, definitely. But there are some people who should keep their thoughts squarely in their own minds. Shudder.

    K.

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