Don’t Just Sit There. Do Something!

Larry’s boyhood dream was to fly.  After graduating from high school he joined the air force.  But poor eyesight disqualified him from flying.  When he was discharged, he had to be content just to watch the Jets fly over his Long Beach CA neighborhood.  Then one day the 33-year-old truck driver got a “bright idea!”

He went down to local army surplus store, bought 45 weather balloons, strapped himself into a lawn chair, had his friends tie the helium filled balloons to the chair and went for a ride over the neighborhood. He took along a BB gun and thought he could shoot the balloons one by one when he was ready to land.

So on July 3, 1982,  Larry Walters took flight in a lawn chair to see his neighborhood in a way he never saw it before!  He figured the balloon would lift him about 100 feet in the air. He was shocked when the chair soared to more than 16,000 ft right smack into the middle of air traffic patterns at LAX.

He stayed airborne for two hours forcing the airport to shut down its runways and delaying flights.  Two airline pilots radioed air traffic control that they had passed a man flying in a lawn chair.

Can you imagine being a passenger on an airliner and your kid is sitting by the window shouting, “Look mom, out of the window, there’s a man  flying in a  lawn chair!’

Walters did make it down safely, by shooting the balloons, although they got tangled up in a power line and he had to be rescued.

He was asked by reporters, “Were you scared?”

“No, not really,” Larry replied

“Are you going to do it again?”

“ NO!”

“What in the world made you do it?” They asked

Walters thought for a moment and said, “Well, you can’t just sit there!”

Since then several people have imitated Larry’s feat.  And a fictionalized version of  Larry Walter’s story was the basis for a Philadelphia musical called “The Flight of the Lawn Chair Man.”

Now admittedly Walters stunt was dangerous.  Even fool hearty!  And probably qualified him for the Darwin award. But there is something positive to be learned.

         (1) When you get out of your comfort zone, you see things from a different perspective!  Too often we find ourselves with the same people.  Doing the same things.  Going to the same places. Watching the same TV shows.  Growth comes when we are challenged by new ideas.  Different experiences.  Unique challenges.

Too often we focus on being understood instead of trying to understand other people.  Their thoughts, beliefs and values.  It takes work to see others from their perspective.

         (2) If you want to rise high, you’ve got to take risks!  Now, I’m not suggesting you take a 16,000 ft high ride in a lawn chair.  But success in business requires risks. This is true in sports. Education. Life.   There’s always a chance an idea won’t work. Or a life style change doesn’t pan out.  But to improve, grow and make a difference, you must be willing to take risks.

          (3) You can’t just sit there!  Don’t you just love it!.  Get up and do something!  Get going!  Pursue a life long dream.  Learn a new skill.  Make a new friend.  Go someplace you’ve never been.  See something new. Get out of your comfort-zone.  Stretch your thinking.  Set new goals.

If you’re stuck in a rut, remember Larry Walters!  You can reach new heights.  But you can’t just sit there!

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman