therealwil.com

It’s 2:45am and I’m up on what I call the old man’s run. My drink of water and bathroom break. When it’s this early and quiet, you can hear all your bones popping and crunching as you walk. Nevertheless, I’m glad to be alive. I ran across some interesting information other day that totally peaked my interest. I was so consumed with it that I clicked the google button and did a little impromptu research.

I am so glad we don’t have to go down stairs and shuffle through the old encyclopedias anymore. They always carried a weird smell. School and classrooms have book smells as well. I can remember being able to smell what was cooking in the lunchroom from what ever classroom you were in. Our days as children seemed to be driven by the food smell in the hallway, the lunch menu posted on our refrigerator at home, and our uncanny ability to always know when pizza and tacos were on the menu. Good food meant good days and crappy days meant a milk, two cookies and going outside to the playground. Lunch people don’t kill my vibe and who comes up with this crappy menu anyway? Pizza everyday was cool with us. Let’s head back to our real subject. How did we get here?

The subject of Eagles sparked my interest and while fact finding, I was able to unearth some quite eye opening information. I am sucker for discovery. I felt like I had struck gold in them thar hills. I really wanted to use the word “thar” right there. That’s the gold-miner in me. Ole’ Goldminer Wil!!

I was gonna sock it to you good with the my new found information until I discovered that there is what’s called fool’s gold. It’s look like it but it ain’t it!! Let me title this, it’s fool’s gold but it still look good. It ain’t gold but I’m gonna use it anyway!!

Can you imagine me panning for gold out in the Rockies and screaming, Gold!! I’ve found gold!! Only to find out later that it was only fool’s gold? Why’d you have to spoil it? Oh well, it looks good so I’m still gonna share it. I’m hauling a truck full of yellow rocks that look like gold. No need in just trashing the rocks on the side of the road, I’m still gonna use them.

I want to start by saying, “Legend has it.” Excuse me while I thrill myself. I thought that was so cool to say, “Legend has it!!” You notice how deep your voice to gets when you say it? Go ahead and try it!! I feel like we are sitting around the campfire at an old Indian reservation, intently listening to one of the tribe elders dressed in cultural garments, a large headdress full of white ostrich feathers and a large poisonous snake around his neck. We are listening for the story while coyotes are yelping in the distant, firewood is crackling, and the flames seem to be jumping up and licking the midnight air. The elder leans in and whispers as the wind picks up, “Legend has it!!” Boom there it is!!!!

Okay, on with the story. Legend has it that when eagles get old, they are met with two choices, CHANGE OR DIE!!! They fly high upon a mountaintop alone. They pluck out the old feathers, rip out their talons, and beat their beak against a rock until it falls off. This is required to rid themselves of the old stuff. The beak, wings and talons become too long, old and ineffective. If the eagle stays the same, he dies. If he changes, he lives another thirty to forty years.

I took it and ran with it. As a matter of fact, I internalized the information and began to accept it as rules to apply to my own life.

I said to myself, it’s not what the eagle is when he is at his best that extends his life, it’s what he learns when he is at his weakest!!

With no beak, no talons and no winds to soar upon, the eagle has to learn that his dependence is and has been solely upon God!!!! I concluded that, it’s easy to live long enough with powerful wings, great eye sight, razor sharp talons, a strong beak, a massive reputation, and the ability to soar higher than any other creature in the world, and forget that it’s not because of you.

It’s not until you are wingless, beak-less, and talon-less, that you have to CHANGE. It forces you to see life in a different light.

You have to learn how to move from STRENGTH TO STRENGTH!! Physical strength to Spiritual Strength!! Trusting me less and God more!!!

Look around you and you will see people who have failed to grasp this lesson. I’ll prove it to you. There is nothing worse than an old man or woman trying to act, dress and look young. In attempt to pass themselves off as young, they are willing to do whatever and fail. Instead of CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN, CHANGING and RETURNING to finish the second half of life SEASONED and SET, they refuse the CHANGE and DIE trying to continue to operate in physical strength when it is depleting. Anytime you hear someone always comparing how much younger they look than those actually younger, it’s a sign. Who wants to look eighteen but actually be eighty? Disclaimer: There is nothing wrong with wanting to look and feel better.

You do know that you can go where young people go, wear what they wear, do what they do and still not be young and accepted?

When hair begins to turns gray, eyes dim, steps shorten, gravity kicks in, and teeth leave, it’s time to fly to the mountain top and CHANGE!! When your eyes dim, your spiritual eyesight should get stronger, when your muscles leave, your spiritual strength should step up, and when you steps shorten, God should be ordering your steps. Less of you and more of Him!!

This transformation can take place before the world or you can spend time alone with God. Can you imagine what an eagle with no beak, feathers and talons looks like? You don’t want to see it nor do we want to see you struggle for refusing to take the trip.

The end of the story suggest that after a period of time, the eagles beak grows back better, his talons grow back stronger, and his wings fill back in even more majestic. He flies down from the mountain an eagles with an extended life. Along with a new change externally, more importantly is the change that has occurred on the inside of the eagle.

I have to admit, I found out that this legend is not true and it makes its home among allegory. How can it sound so profound and yet not be true?

The truth is that you must accept CHANGE or PERISH!!

Truth: You are getting older and you must embrace the process.

Truth: Find you a Mountain, climb it, and spend some time alone with God. It’s too painful for us to watch.

If by chance you see a beak-less, talon-less, old eagle walking around the club with feathers missing, lovingly share this story and point them to the nearest mountain.

I want to see you soar!!!!! You haven’t even scratched the surface of what great things God has in store for you!!

I love you

@WingedWil