Courage.

Come to the edge, he said.
They said: We are afraid.
Come to the edge, he said.
They came.
He pushed them and they flew.
~Guillaume Apollinaire

Courage.
It is amazing how much courage you need to throw yourself up in the air. Courage that you will be safe, courage that someone is there to support you, courage that you are capable. Just as with everything, the more you practice, the easier it becomes. When Gandhi's Angels are playing, it is a beautiful display of courage coming to life.

At first, things may be a little uncertain. The conversation may unfold like this:
"You want me to do what?!?"
"Trust me, you can do this."
"But, but.."
"Let's just try"

And try we do. There is always someone who has faith that we are capable of something. Sometimes it takes them to convince the others. Sometimes it is the sheer undeniability of that person's belief that gets everyone else to try. And so we fly. Mostly.

Sometimes we fall! We try again. We fall! Sometimes it hurts a little. We try again. Inevitably we either nail the pose, or we surrender to the fact that we have to leave room for growth. But all the while, courage cheers us on.

And on and on.

It's like walking the yellow brick road, really. If at first we are the cowardly lion without faith in ourselves or each other, the longer we "walk" the more opportunities unfold to test our courage. Just as the lion discovered, courage is not the destination, it is the journey.

Remember this: when you ask for courage, the universe does not respond by giving you courage. It responds by giving you a situation in which to be courageous.

Flying is the situation. Let's hear your lion roar, angels.