Two brothers standing on a dusty North Carolina field in 1903 shared the same lofty thought: “If birds can glide… why can’t I?”  And so they did.  After much painful experimentation, thrilling seconds aloft and heart stopping landings later, modern aviation was born.  

The Wright brothers launched a simple “why not me” from avian inspiration to, basically, pure magic.  Hot damn – we can fly, you guys.

I grew up in an airplane-happy household with a father who instilled in me a fascination of vintage warbirds, acrobatic stunt planes and home built aircraft.  He is a man who can cock his ear to the sky and tell you by sound what plane is flying overhead. #hero

Some of my most memorable flights have been in glider planes – non-motorized, long-winged beauties that are pulled into the sky by a tow plane and released to ride the columns of hot thermals rising from below.  

If a surfer catches waves, a glider pilot catches air.  It’s a pretty incredible experience with far fewer sharks.    

Glider planes are all about that lift, relying on crazy-strong invisible forces to keep you from crashing.  There are signs, of course, that let you know where to find them – those ever-popular soaring birds are one (why flap your wings when you’re surfing?) and fresh cumulus clouds developing up in the great blue yonder are yet another.  But, for the most part, staying in flight in a glider is a lot about trusting yourself and holding on tight.

My moment of Zen for you today is a favorite flying video of mine featuring Polish glider pilot Karol Staryszak swooping over the French alps like some sort of airborne ballerina.  I watch it when I get that tight-chest-overwhelmed-by-life feeling and need to step off the ground and back into the sky for perspective.

I’m regularly inspired by those that soar higher than me.  What we do and how high we go impacts a much wider audience than we might initially realize.  No pressure, but your awesomeness is wildly contagious. So, wheels up and make it count. Why not you?