Puttering about deep in thought (internal conversation, if you will), a realization came upon me like that seagull’s gift after it ate my last bit of bread (thank goodness I was wearing a cap). This realization really did boggle the mind and render several wandering dust spiders homeless. Like a cannonball being dropped on the head of Wile E. Coyote, it was. Stopped me in my tracks and caused me to momentarily forget the coffee I was carrying.
What could this thought have been to render such events possible? Exactly that! Pondering the possible.
Reason with me for a moment:
- People once said, “Pyramids? Can’t build such things. Not enough stone, and how will you move the stones if you did find them? Big bulky, clunky, chunky things just standing about like great standing things. It’s impossible!” Then, they started building them.
- People used to say, “You can’t sail around the world? It’s a large wobbly flat surfaced thing, you’ll end up plopping off the end if you don’t get eaten by the great slimy terrifying lizardy thing that eats ships. I see it just over there! Oh wait, that’s my mother-in-law out for a wash. But it’s out there just waiting. Sail around the world? Impossible!” And yet, now it’s done.
- People once said, “The moon? It’s made of cheese. But you can’t get there from here. And even if you could, which you can’t, but if you could, you’ll get attacked by moon people. Nah, going to the moon is impossible.”
- Then there are those who said, “Lobster? Ugly brutes with their claws and flippy tails. Can’t let people eat these….they’ll never catch on! Impossible!” And now, toss a morsel into some melty butter…..
We deal with the impossible every single day and yet we still claim things as impossible.
- Impossible to fly no matter how hard you flap your arms? We have airplanes for that.
- Impossible to walk on water to the other side? We have bridges and boats for that.
- Impossible to travel in time? How many of us live in the past every day? How many worry out every detail of the future? Don’t tell me time travel is impossible! We do it every day.
One of my favorite television shows is “The Big Bang Theory” and one of my favorite lines comes from Dr. Sheldon Cooper, when he comments to Penny: “I can’t be impossible….I exist! I think what you meant to say was that I’m improbable.”
Just because we aren’t able to do something does not make it impossible. Might make it difficult. Might make it improbable. But not impossible unless we quit trying.
“I’m not crazy!
My mother had me tested.”
