S O C I A L A N A L Y S I S

Fly Like An Eagle By: Timothy A. Valentine

When you look at the turbulent times, darkest moments and uncertain situations in your life until this very moment, you should be encouraged. No matter how unfortunate, difficult and trying life has been for you, take a moment of peace to reflect on this reality. If you’ve made it this far, consider how much further you can go and/or endure? Sometimes you may have to encourage yourself, but I urge you to try you best and not give up. This year has been fast pace and challenging. It has also been a transformative year as well for me. My experience has been to make the thoughts, ideas and suggestions into words of reality. Alright, I guess if I put it in a less expressively opulent way, I had to practice what I preached. Sigh…If you only knew… Anyway, let us continue. Perhaps I’m odd, because I’ve always enjoy poetry, metaphors and parables because sometimes they help me express a point or message I would like to covey in a more symbolic, expressive or relatable way. Some has suggested that I lose street credibility, but I disagree. Sincerity of who you are often leads you to discovering a treasure of credibility. So just hang in there with me so that you’ll get the point I’m trying to make. Often we find ourselves in life’s valleys, walking what seems like a lonely journey through our impeding mountain of issues that motivates us to take an easier path rather than having the faith to see where it may lead. Our situations, the responsibilities and those personalized crisis we experience can feel like life is raining down on us like a severe thunderstorm. But we should learn how to fly like an eagle. Let us take note. In time of a storm the eagle goes up to the highest peak. And according to ornithologists, the eagle can have a wingspan ranging from 6 to 9 feet. When the wind begins to blow and the storm begins to rage, the eagle simple flies above it.

S O C I A L A N A L Y S I S

It may be a bird-brained idea, but perhaps we have something to learn from the eagle. What if we stop running from our storms, but instead spreads spread our wings and soar into and above it? Many times we simply do not harness patience enough in time of our storm to spread our wings to soar above it. Let us stop running from our fears, but harness the courage to face them. Life can be difficult, but you can fly like an eagle above the storms of life. Imagine how far you may soar if you had the faith to step out on the precipice of your storm and spread your wings? Go into the storm that you may reach the highest peak. We must understand that people will talk about you. Primarily it’s due to their lack of courage, consideration and experience. But let their hot air be the wind that carries you above the clouds of self-consciousness, thunder of apprehensiveness and storm of issues with the self-esteem that offers you the words of encouragement needed to soar about it all. Understand that I’m not trying to be biblical, but the power of life and death truly are in the power of the tongue. Regardless of your beliefs, we all have experience this truth. You can kill someone with your words or you can breathe life into them with your words. Let your words be sincere. Don’t say it if you don’t mean it. If the situation, conditions or reality change since the birth of your words, then renew your spirit so that you may find a renewed life. When the words you speak are dead, and then bury them along with the attitude and perceptions that rides with them into the rich soil of life. Some will try to persuade you into believing you can’t, but you can and do have the power of life and death in the words you speak. Let the intercourse of your thoughts and ideas birth a life into the words you share with others. Consider the feeling received when you gave someone a kind word or melody of song that made them smile. Don’t be deceived, because your living is not in vain. You give, not lend. Your words should never become a debt or weight in a person’s life, but like the person who stops to help you up when you’re down, let your words uplift the spirits, the reality, the perspective and your interactions with others. Face the storm, spread your wings and fly like an eagle. Don’t be afraid of whatever it is that holds you back. Move Forward and Soar Above It.