The Burden of Flight

Long before the sky was filled with birds, they lived in groups under the trees. They were such beautiful creatures. With feathers that ranged all of the colors of the rainbow. These birds gathered in groups and created wonderful music together. Even with all of this beauty, they didn’t stand out from the other creatures of the earth. A fishes scales were equally as beautiful as their feathers, for instance. They longed for so much more than just the ordinary.

As their longing turned into music, they turned their songs towards the sky. The wind carried their music upward and the sky one day responded. It said, “What do you yearn for so deeply, my little ones? I have heard your cries and have become curious.” The leader of the birds answered, “You, oh great sky. We wish to join you and be your servants.” “Ah, I see,” said the sky, “but this is a difficult thing that you ask for. Give me time and I may come up with a solution.” With that, the voice of the sky became silent and the birds cheered in a new found sense of hope.

Some time had passed and the sky returned. The sky set down a pair of wings next to each of the birds and said, “This will be your test. Take these wings and walk with them for a season. If you do not give up, then I promise that you’ll be mine forever.” With glee, the birds all picked up their wings and placed them on their back. The sounds of pain from that day is hard to put into words. “Oh, this burden is too heavy for our bodies,” some cried out. Others simply collapsed and struggled to take them off.

They had a meeting about the matter and a few birds agreed and said, “we cannot continue on carrying this burden. Singing in the shade of the trees is enough for us.” They then took the wings off and went back to their ordinary lives. The leader of the birds stepped forward and spoke. “I trust the sky,” he said, “and if they say that dealing with this will allow us to be together, then I will continue. We have been desperate for far too long. Remember our songs. How they simply burst out of us and traveled on the wind. We cannot forget the passion we had at the beginning of this. Trust and push forward!” The leader’s speech gave enough courage to the majority of them, but there were still those taking their wings off daily.

Slowly the wings began to graft to their bodies. They had accepted the burden placed on them and began to move their wings. The more they accepted this burden that made them different from those that wanted the ordinary, the more one they became. The pain began to subside and they sung once more. Adding in the flapping of their wings to the song. Their wings covered their hearts as their burdens began to fuel them.

Once they had fully accepted their wings and grown from it, the leader rose up and called out, “Oh, sky! We have been tested and ask that we may now join you.” The sky responded, “Come, my servants. Stretch your wings and fly alongside me. Show the world your beauty and fill it with your songs.” Then the sky sent the wind to the birds as a companion. The wind taught them when to flap and when to stretch out their wings. They quickly began to fly and fill the sky.

The birds sung beautiful songs high above all other life. They even danced with each other in the sky as they celebrated their extraordinary lives. Looking back, the burden was not even that great in comparison to the joys they now experience. All it took was a bit of trust and a good leader.