Dear TSJ Faithful Friends,
Sometimes we all “need a lift” in life! We often don’t think of it that way when it comes to our emotional state 
of being, but if our car breaks down or we run out of gas or our car is stuck in the snowbank etc. and we need to get somewhere on time; if someone asks, “Do you need a lift?” it is like music to our ears. When a child cannot see the monkey in the zoo or the fireworks in the park we give them a lift. And things look different. When a baby cries or an animal has a broken leg we give them a lift.
This week I have needed a spiritual or emotional lift a couple of times – for no identifiable reason. Of course I can come up with a dozen little things that are like sand in the shoe – such as having a restless night with less sleep than I seem to need or overeating so clothes don’t fit as well or … you get the picture. Those are the kinds of things that should be shaken off like sand in your sandals. And sometimes does it really matter just exactly what makes you need a lift such as the examples I started with? If you need a lift you simply need a lift!
Well I have been lifted this week a few times – each in a different way – that you may relate to also.
First, a few days ago I began to learn from Mr. John about the Bernoulli principle. What? You read it right and many of you may be like me and know little to nothing about the Bernoulli principle. That is why I included the link so when you click on it you too can go straight to Wikipedia and learn. But watch out. One thing leads to another and before you know it you will be reading all sorts of scientific and interesting things. So be sure your kids have their homework done or you have your lesson plans done before you check it out. Meanwhile, let me tell you about how this started to intrigue me.
I was sharing with John (with the wisest sheep ever listening in – Solomon of course) that I was feeling heavy in more ways than one after we had done some morning meditative readings I reflected a bit on needing some inspiration. Which got me to thinking about the word in-spire — or in spirit. Hmm. When I feel somehow touched by the Spirit of Love, compassion, insight, laughter, joy, abundance, hope and possibility (or my potential as a child of the Creator) I become more creative and productive, happier and definitely easier to live with. I feel lifted. Raised up above the dense forces that seem to operate in our world. And within me.
John explained the Bernoulli principle to me (he is a physicist – and of course very smart that way). This led into discussion of things like force, pressure, energy etc. He explained that is the science behind airplane wings. He added, “Lift force is the difference between the air pressure on the top surface of the wing and the bottom surface of the wing.” (Force = pressure x area- but that is more than you probably need to know for this moment.)
I, of course, went into immediate object lesson mode and found it quite inspiring if I thought of it as the velocity of the wind of the Spirit over the wing of an airplane – in contrast to the force or pressure beneath the wind that gives it the lift. John took a piece of paper and held it with both hands at one end and blew over its top surface. The limp paper immediately lifted!
So what are ways that our inner wings of hope and joy can lift us out of our inertia when we are feeling nothing but the force of life’s challenges? Jesus said the spirit is like the wind. Maybe like the wind we blew on the piece of paper that lifted it.
A phone call to one of my sons offered at least a partial answer. He listened well, hearing my struggle with what I call a form of spiritual dragging. Have you ever felt dragged down – something like a force keeping you back from your best self? Well, that is how I was feeling and his kindness, love, empathy and support touched me as my children so often do. But before we hung up the phone I was laughing out loud.
In this case that was like magic. John heard me in the other room and I came out to a big smile and encouragement. He loves to hear me laugh. It lightens his spirits too, as you well know, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Perhaps it is the best “lift-to-drag” ratio as is discussed in aerodynamics on Wikipedia.
Lift force has the potential to be much greater than drag force.
So, first I was inspired by learning some new things that appealed to my curiosity and how the sciences apply to the practice of living on an alive (organic) earth and how divine power is the greatest of all to lift us up and help us to see things differently.
Finally, when I went to write this blog I told John I had to include Solomon. I said, “he is the wisest sheep of all, you know…” to which John quipped with a twinkle, “That is because he keeps his mouth shut.”
I laughed out loud and hope you do too.
May your spirits be lifted today.
Margie and Solomon
