Learning to fly

Goodness! How the months have flown by! I can't believe that it's been nearly three months since I last posted anything. Hopefully I can get back on board with things once summer arrives.
Last evening I enjoyed seeing a performance of the Celtic Women for the very first time. There is something so empowering about their music, between the richness and purity of their voices, to the words they sing, to the energy and joy so plain on their faces. Throughout the concert, they would twirl and dance about the stage as if they were little fairies, and I couldn't help but wonder, had they been given wings, if they wouldn't just start flying above the crowd. Ever since the last notes of their music died away, I haven't been able to shake this feeling of being alive; almost as if I, too, could fly.  I wish I could just bottle this feeling and then drink it in again on a day that is less than wonderful. There are just too few days in this life where a person feels this way. 
This past summer, my family and I were playing a game kind of like twenty questions, only you had to guess which answer belonged to each player. One of the questions that came up was, "On average, how many good days do you have in a year?"  I thought about 25, another thought maybe 40, and yet another guessed it to be about 30. But my brother, who is the energetic and fun-loving member of the family, estimated about 333. We all laughed at how our numbers stacked up, but man, what a thought! To be truly happy and at peace for 95% of the year!  I really admire and respect my brother for being able to think like that. 
But how to capture these good feelings? How can we create these feelings on a really bad day? I like to refer to this quote by St. Augustine: "If we live good lives, the times are also good. As we are, such are the times."  Maybe one finds the most happiness in being who they are. My brother can certainly attest to that. Every day he spends time doing the things he loves and being with the people he loves. Those of us who are quick to get swamped with our work and daily lives, often ignore our body's desire for doing something enjoyable that we have always loved to do. I think part of why I enjoyed last evening's concert so much is because listening to music with good, heartfelt messages is something that brings me joy and puts me at peace.
Try creating some of those good feelings today by setting aside some time to do what you love to do, whatever that may be. And once you're in that happy place, I will be waiting with a pair of wings, made just for you, so you can fly.