Wishing for wings

I was asked to fill in a profile questionnaire at work recently. Something that's going to be published on our Intranet. A little snapshot of who we are, as we see ourselves, to share with our colleagues. And one of the questions was, "If you could choose a superpower, what would it be?".

All the more obvious things, those skills that would allow me to help the planet and the people on it - eradicate poverty and violence and greed; save the environment; see into the hearts of men, and so on - flashed through my head. Healing related powers mostly, I noted. And it's true, I probably would choose one of those if being empowered in this way ever became a reality.

But... if I was to be entirely selfish and choose something just for me, just for pleasure, it would probably be the ability to fly.

I've always wished for wings: to be able to fly unaided.

There seems to be something inherently joyful about being able to launch one's self into the air; climb, somersault and soar on thermals; see the earth that way, so beautiful from above; and travel freely and unencumbered. How wonderful that would be!

Sometimes I even take the opportunity (like if there's a party outfit that needs accessorizing) to don a pair of beautiful glittery wings and pretend. And I encourage people I know to do the same. And many are surprisingly willing to do so. I think it does me good occasionally to imagine that I can fly. It's liberating.