Monday, July 15, 2024
The phrase “wing it” comes from the theater, where it alludes to an actor studying their part in the wings of the stage because they had been suddenly called on to replace another. First used in 1885, it eventually was extended to other kinds of improvisation based on unpreparedness.
Sometimes being put on the spot is exactly what you need. There’s another good phrase. Pirates used to send the ace of spades which had a spot in the middle to people they intended to kill. Anyone who received this card knew he had been “put on the spot” — he was slated to die.
Some of your greatest joys will come when you’re pushed out of the nest without a “safety net.” That’s going on the fly. “On the fly” is a baseball term – keeping the ball in the air. Going off the cuff is also shorthand for something spontaneous and unrehearsed. It stems from the practice of performers jotting lines on their shirt cuffs.
Winging it, on the fly, off the cuff, put on the spot – nothing is solid. We’re floating in space in the middle of nowhere. If you try to erase variables (the unknown), the performance gets stale and boring. If you have a general idea of things, a faith in the unknown, and a sense of wonderment, you can work magic on the fly.
It requires great faith in oneself to be put “on the spot.” But if you really want an interesting life, go off the cuff. Release the false concept of solidity. Your safety net, fallback plan, Plan B, or whatever you think you’re leaning on, will also give way. Preparation doesn’t eradicate uncertainty. Might as well fly right into it, trust it, and see what happens. You might be surprised, but that’s the point, to be surprised. Lean into the variables. They contain the magic.