Fly Again

"Most birds were created to fly. Being grounded for them is a limitation within their ability to fly, not the other way around. You, on the other hand, were created to be loved. So for you to live as if you were unloved is a limitation, not the other way around. Living unloved is like clipping a bird’s wings and removing its ability to fly. Pain has a way of clipping our wings and keeping us from being able to fly. And if left unresolved for very long, you can almost forget that you were ever created to fly in the first place." - William Young

Humans have been clipping the wings of captive birds for centuries (and clipping the wings of other humans for much longer than that). Whether born in the wild or in captivity, birds all have the same biological impulse to fly - their entire bodies are structured specifically for flight. A bird who has been regularly clipped quickly loses the musculature necessary to fly but it does not lose the desire to soar. However, without being able to lift off, they soon learn that attempting flight will result in failure and pain so they feel reluctant to try again - both physically and psychologically they become smaller, less confident, less vibrant versions of their former selves.

But there is always hope. If clipped feathers are given the time and space to regrow and heal, if the bird is shown by other birds what flying looks like, if the muscles are re-trained and cared for and nurtured...a caged bird can once again fly. I believe the same is true of people.

Once we've had a traumatic event or damaging life experience we can lose the emotional musculature needed to learn to fly again - we become afraid to try because we have fallen before. And so we shrink back, we allow ourselves to become small, and we forget that we were created to soar in the first place. I also believe that, just like birds, we can absolutely learn to fly again - stronger and more vibrant than ever.

So give yourself the time and space to regrow and heal. Surround yourself with others who inspire you to soar again. Nurture and care for your wounds. Gently re-train your emotional muscles to operate fully again...to feel fully again.

If your wings feel clipped, know that you are not alone and that you can and will fly again.

“Finally my clipped wings regrew, now, I soar higher than the eagle." - Humble Edward