Believing and Flying

I was lying in bed this morning thinking about Hawaii (as it relates to the pilot I’m writing), when all of the sudden R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly” came pouring out of a neighbor’s stereo. A bit loud for that time of morning, especially since the alley between my building and the next building acts as an echo chamber. But instead of closing my window, I listened to the lyrics –

If I can see it then I can do it
If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

I believe I can fly
I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away
I believe I can soar
I see me running through that open door
I believe I can fly, I believe I can fly
I believe I can fly

When I think about this past week, I’ve gotten some work done for sure, but I’ve also been filling my suddenly ample free time with activities – errands around town, cleaning my apartment, etc. Anything to keep myself from facing the blank page.

Photo / Creative Commons / Henry McLin

But I have to face the blank page if I want to turn it into a 55 page pilot script that CBS greenlights for production. I can’t let fear hold me back. I need to believe I can fly.

As the song ended, I declared a new commitment to letting myself fly on the page, despite any self-doubt or fear I might be feeling. I walked out my door and discovered,,,

The loud music was coming from my roommate’s stereo!

I quickly turned it off, puzzled. She rarely uses the stereo in her room and I’ve never heard her listening to R. Kelly. She was on set, so I texted her to see if she’d forgotten she programmed it to turn on for some reason.

She had no idea what I was talking about. She’s never programmed that stereo to do anything and hasn’t used it in months. It just spontaneously turned on and started playing that song!

Photo / Creative Commons / Paul Jacobson.

Talk about a message from the universe! A message we both needed to hear, I discovered. It was reaching out across town to Burbank, where she was feeling blue herself. She needed to hear she could fly, and now I’m sharing it with all of you, across time and space –

You can all fly. Whether you’re an artist or scientist or parent or child – feel into your wildest dreams and believe that they can come true. I’m living proof that with heartfelt dedication and perseverant visioning, anything can be yours.

Fly!