Wednesday, October 14, 2026
The phrase “wing and a prayer” was coined in the Second World War as pilots were flying back from battle in crippled planes with knocked-out engines and mangled wings. What choice did they have? Fly or die.
I tire of giving in to my mind’s “logic.” Rather than having a go, seeing what happens, or giving it the old college try, the mind would rather stay on the ground, stew, and rot. It would rather play it safe than to see if “making it” were even possible. Most of it is make-believe. That’s how you “make it.” You stretch and fill in the gaps. It’s like duct tape and luck, make-believe.
My mind has won too often, “playing it safe.” The mental “advice” is the same: You’re not going to make it. Things aren’t changing, better give up. You’re powerless against lean times – better to fail and lick your wounds.
But the wing and a prayer is that “maybe,” that glimmer that entices you to fly with a busted wing and a knocked-out engine. Just maybe. To see it through, to prove the mind wrong – what victory!
Maybe you can. Just maybe. Just maybe you can eek this one out and make it work in your favor. Prayer is moment-by-moment living with enough hope to wonder if you can prove logic wrong and “wing it.” Logic will always tell you that you are “not ready.” Love, however, is stronger than logic. Even if on life-support, love sees only hope.
When prayer is all that’s left, you’re stretching logic. Don’t you want to see what might happen if you “wing it?” You can fly with a busted wing.
The only way to close the gap is with belief and winging it.
Fly or die? I choose to fly [even if on a wing and a prayer].