Fields of Paper Airplanes

1 piece of paper and 7 folds. It takes 1 piece of paper and 7 folds to make the most basic paper airplane. In a matter of seconds, you can transform a single piece of paper into a plane. A plane made out of paper that is. An idea, poem, and song can be birthed on a single piece of paper. A love letter, a masterpiece, and the monologue of an opening play can come from a single 8x10 piece of paper. All of these things are great and remarkable. For me, it is most fascinating that 1 piece of paper and 7 folds can create a paper airplane. Done right, your effort, your folds, can take your airplane from one location to another. 1 piece of paper and 7 folds can embark on a journey.

Years ago I can recall standing on our balcony on the 12th floor of our apartment in my hometown of Toronto Canada. At the age of 11, I was leaving behind everything I ever knew. We were moving. I was leaving all of my friends, all of my memories, all of my favorite shops and restaurants, and even our pet cat. I can already hear all the cat lovers gasping. With that being said, I was also leaving behind Tim Hortons which honestly was the hardest part of it all. All of my Canadian peeps will understand. I can recall the last night in our two-bedroom apartment. All of our furniture was packed and all items we owned were now on a truck. I sat in my empty room on the cold floors listening to the city. I got lost looking out my bedroom window with hopes of bottling every sense and every memory. Toronto was the city where I learned to dream. It’s easier to learn to dream in a city. Buildings and skyscrapers are built out of thin air. It’s an artistic expression of imagination. If you can dream it, you can build it. As I sat in the car the next morning driving away from what I called home, I couldn’t help but feel like part of me was leaving my dreams behind as well. At 11 years old, the future and the unknown was daunting. Today at 25 years old, the future and the unknown is still daunting. Does that ever change?

1 piece of paper and 7 folds. I remember learning how to make a paper airplane. My first attempts as a child were anything but a success. For one of my birthdays, I was gifted with a paper airplane instructions book. I don’t remember who gave it to me but thanks. It was a cool gift. It came with specially designed paper and instructions on how to make dozens of different paper airplanes. Many of these paper airplanes were advanced with so many folds, instructions were necessary. Instructions were necessary. As a child instructions suck. Come to find out, as an adult, instructions still suck. No one prepared me for that. Let’s be real, life would be much more enjoyable without instructions. However, it would also be much more dysfunctional. How would our IKEA nightstands get built? How would our Star Wars Lego Sets get put together without instructions? I loved Legos as a kid but I never followed the instructions. Most Lego sets I received became buildings and skyscrapers. That was my thing. You can be a lot more creative without instructions and have a lot more fun. It’s interesting though how the things in life that are not necessary or required tend to have significant importance. Not required does not mean not significant.

You don’t need to use instructions but that IKEA nightstand will get built within record time versus you winging it. You also won’t have random missing pieces laying on the floor when finished. You are not required to go to college. You are not required to get a job. No one is forcing you to have goals and dreams. With that being said, no one can underestimate the value of these things. You aren’t required to have a relationship with God but doing so will give you everlasting life, grace, forgiveness, and blessings. Hmmmm. Seems pretty significant. Sure you can navigate your life without God. Millions of people do. Millions of people also come to the end of their life searching for the instructions manual. They find themselves regretting reading the part on how to get their key card to enter Heavens Gates. The instructions manual has been available our entire lives yet few pick it up. The Bible lays the foundation of everything we need to navigate life yet it gets tossed aside. I’ll be the first to admit I’ve neglected God’s word in my own life. I thought I could build my life with little instructions. That’s not the case. You need the instructions for your IKEA nightstand and you need the instructions of God’s word for a successful and abundant life.

I am the type of person that disregards an instructions manual and tosses it aside. Shortly after, I find myself frustrated and searching for the instructions manual. That seems to describe life in a nutshell, doesn’t it? At one moment we feel like we can conquer anything and everything. We feel remarkably independent like we have it all under control. Instantly, that feeling can fall faster than a drop tower and we are stuck with the realization we don’t have anything under our own control. All of a sudden we are scrambling around looking for the instructions manual. You thought you had the fairytale relationship but you suddenly find yourself single. You thought you landed your dream job but your expectations are far from the truth. The miracle you begged for abruptly falls through. Your health declines. Your family breaks apart. Your dreams and aspirations crumble. You are so alone in your struggle. Isolation has become your new best friend. You had it all together yesterday but today you are now in desperate need of the instructions. Where did I toss the instructions?! What do I do now? Today there is only one type of paper airplane I can make by memory. It’s the most basic one. One piece of paper and 7 folds.

I can remember watching Disney Chanel back in Toronto as a kid. I would watch these teen stars and envy them. I can’t wait to be in high school I thought. Then I got to high school and thought I can’t wait for college. You can probably guess my next thoughts. I then started counting down the days of graduation. Now I’m dreaming of my childhood and wishing I could go back. What I am starting to understand about life is the significance of the journey. It takes 7 folds to make the most basic paper airplane. It takes years upon years for some to realize and capitalize on their destiny. My point? The journey takes time. The journey takes effort. A paper airplane requires 7 folds. A dream career requires more than 7 years. Your life is precious. Precious things take time. I told a stranger once in conversation, that I was dreaming of retirement. They laughed then said in a serious tone, don’t ever wish away time. Don’t ever wish away your life. That statement struck me in the chest quicker than a fighter jet taking off for battle. Don’t ever wish away time. Don’t ever wish away your life. It takes 7 folds to make a paper airplane. How much work, time, effort, and patience are required for you to reach your dreams. What is required for you to find your ultimate happiness? That answer varies for everyone which makes life unique. Your journey is your journey. Yours. Don’t let the world, society, peers, friends, and even family dictate your journey. Life is unique to your journey which means you are the sole person required to live it out. You are the movie star to your destiny and your calling. If the God of the universe embraces you for you, do the same for yourself. Embrace who you are.

Paper Airplanes don’t make themselves. This is because paper airplanes require work. What is life without the journey? For me, the folds represent the journey, the process. The folds represent the work required to go from point A to point B. The piece of the paper is you. Sure, you can mess everything up and crumble yourself. You can toss yourself into the waste can. Paper can easily be torn and destroyed. We think the human body and mind are different, yet most never realize how fragile life can be. We often forget how we can be here today and gone tomorrow. In a blink of an eye, life can come to an abrupt stop without notice. Your paper airplane can take a nose dive into the cold unwelcoming ground with the journey suddenly scoring to a stop. That’s how fragile life is. That is how fragile your journey is. While we walk on glass many of us jump on it. Pushing ourselves to find the breaking point, we live on the edge. Carelessly, we throw our paper airplanes without any effort, watching our dreams, goals, possessions, wealth, health, friends, and family come crashing down. You can avoid the crash as long as you put the time, work, and effort into the journey. Learn to live life while appreciating each moment. A movie is irrelevant without a plot. A story has no meaning without a storyline. The journey is necessary. The journey is worth it.

I told you I was gifted with a paper airplane instructions book as a kid. There is more than one way to make a paper airplane. There are many. I titled this letter, “Fields of Paper Airplanes.” I did that for a reason. When making a paper airplane you don’t always get it right on the first try. You may have a dozen paper airplanes laying on the ground not far from your feet until you have perfected your folds. Innovation takes multiple attempts. Think about Henry Ford, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, and any influential person to step on this planet. They had a journey and a journey much more strenuous than most. Hardship, battles, and trials only produce strength and greatness. You can’t overcome without standing in front of a mountain.

Your journey may not go as expected. It may take longer than originally planned. It may crash. It may take several rewrites. It may require some trials and errors. It could include some learning curves. With all of that being said, what matters the most is how you embrace the journey. What matters is how you navigate, learn, adapt, and proceed. Again, you are the author of your story. Write it how you want it to be written. Throw your paper airplane as far as you can. Embrace the journey. Give your worries, fears, and doubts to God. Let God light your path and He will carry you when you fall. He will pick you up when your journey seems impossible. He will ordain your steps and He will enable you to overcome all obstacles and mountains you face. It takes one piece of paper and seven folds to make a paper airplane. It takes one prayer and a genuine heart to reach our Heavenly Father.

Sincerely,

Isaac Demers