"Funny how fallin' feels like flyin' ... for a little while."

That line, from the song "Fallin' & Flyin'" in the movie "Crazy Heart," seems to resonate with a lot of people. I know it does with me.

And though "The Weary Kind," from that same movie, won the Oscar this year, I would propose "Fallin' & Flyin'" instead. That's because I've done a little of both lately - and, true to the intro line here, what felt like flyin' usually turned out to be fallin'.

"I was goin' where I shouldn't go, seein' who I shouldn't see...."

Unfortunately, quite often, what feels good - isn't.

And we hate that.

Take it from your mom, the Good Book, the police or your doctor, too much of any good thing, or sometimes even a dollop of a bad thing, can bring you crashing down.

Whether you "love a little wild one and she brings you only sorrow" (amen Steely Dan), eat steak fat until you heave, or veg out on the sofa until your arteries harden, eventually "What is sweet now, turns so sour" (Beatles).

Now, with the important things, you usually know when flying is really falling. That anxious sensation in the pit of your stomach, the buzzing in your ears and the feeling of impending doom knock on your consciousness - but, sometimes, you ignore them because, well, you're having such a good time.

"I thought I was flying like a bird, so far above my sorrow, but when I looked down, I was standing on my knees" (Jackson Browne).

Happy crash landing, bro.

Now, ignoring the for-sure bad stuff, such as murder and pole vaulting, it pretty much comes down to the amount of what you do that brings you down.

As the most obvious example, there's that inevitable lesson about alcohol that almost everyone learns early on, but some repeat periodically. One or two is flyin' but eight or 12 is definitely fallin' - if not that same night, then, certainly, the next day.

But there are other, more subtle flights-to-crashes. Consider...

Exercise: A bit of fit is fine (said the lazy man) but when you've added so much muscle or lost so much fat that your crazy-eyes bulge out of your leather-face from the pressure, and your kidneys have dried up into, well, kidney beans, it's time to chill a bit and, oh, have a sandwich.

Movies: If you walk around dressed like Bogart from a film noir, quote lines from "Caddyshack" at significant turns in life ("Wanna make 14 dollars the hard way?"), or know who directed "Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny," you've crashed in movie land. It's time to come back.

Television: When the highlight seasons of your life are remembered in terms of TV commercials, or, worse yet, you drop famous commercial quotes into casual conversation with people who are too young to remember them ("Let's get Mikey to do it." "Where's the beef?" "How do you spell relief?") - well, you've landed too hard and you might as well just plug back into the Matrix. You shall not be redeemed.

iPhone: If your phone never leaves your palm, and beating your friends to the latest "apps" is the highlight of your week, you are falling fast. But when you use the map-app to find the restaurant rest room, or text your date while she's sitting beside you, or stop down to use your iPhone to find the top 10 responses in tight situations, you have crash-landed: "Hold on Honey...Boss...Officer...I just need to check ...."

Music: And, finally, we come to music. It's one of God's sweetest gifts. But even the flight of music can become a fall through excessive volume (deafness, angry neighbors, "I didn't hear the siren, Officer") or repetition ("Dude, that's the tenth time you've played that song!") or by merely playing polka music anywhere but at an Oktoberfest.

And, if you play music backward? Well, that's just letting the devil in. "Turn me on, dead man" (Beatles).

But you know you've smacked the earth so hard you've made a hole when you find yourself quoting song lyrics in your writings. And you may be beyond help, brother.

I'm just sayin', "If there's such a thing as too much fun, this must be the price you pay." ("Fallin' & Flyin'").