Inspiration can come from so many places…
– Last fall it was my dad. His knowledge of Scripture inspires me. It is truly incredible. And the stories and lessons he shares with me from Scripture inspire me too. So on January first I began reading the One Year Bible. I have made it to Joshua in the Old Testament and Luke in the New. I am excited about what is still left for me to read and learn!
– Sometime in January it was my mom. My mom inspires me, in one way or another, on a weekly basis. But in January it was a conversation about organic eating that inspired me. For about a year now I have had the desire to feed my family only organic foods. However, eating organic can be pretty expensive. And as I am also committed to a budget, I have been hesitant to spend that much more money every month. But her suggestion made sense to me- “Just switch some of the things your family eats the most. You don’t have to go cold turkey to be benefited. Little changes make a difference too.” So now we eat about 50/50. I feel better about what I am feeding my family. And my budget thanks me too.
– This spring it was zerowastehome.blogspot.com. Reading it has inspired within me a whole new perspective on quite a few different things. But more specifically it inspired me to start composting. It really is too easy and too cheap and too good for the environment not to do! So on May 11th my sweet husband surprised me with a compost bin and then this past Sunday he did all the steps required to get it started for me! (He is such a good man. I think it was about 95 degrees at the time. Good, good man.)
– Also this spring it was tumbleweedhouses.com. The whole idea of “tiny houses” is quite intriguing to me. I actually find it to be quite appealing too. And though I don’t see myself living in a tiny house anytime soon (if ever), the idea of a tiny house has inspired me to rethink what we truly need or are even benefited by in this life (like how many square feet, how many books, how many toys, how many pairs of shoes one should really own…). It has also inspired me to declutter! A process I am truly enjoying and feeling very blessed by this time around. Sooo freeing.
– Around the middle of April it was “Our Noble, Essential Decency” by Robert A. Heinlein in the book “This I Believe”. Reading that inspired this “glass-half-empty-gal” (yes, its true, as much as I hate it, I tend to be one of those glass-half-empty people), to pay more attention to, give more credit to and acknowledge more often to myself and others the kindness and thoughtfulness shown to me by the people in my life. One way I have done this is by writing down those experiences when they happen. This simple, easy practice has blessed me so much and really improved my perspective on people and life.
– Around the end of April it was a magazine article (I cannot for the life of me think of which magazine…). The article was about a mama of two who kept running (along with a support group of other preggo runners) through her entire second pregnancy. Yes, she got a lot slower. And yes, the distance she would run diminished considerably the further into her pregnancy she got. But she kept at it. And knowing that that was possible for her, has inspired me to do so as well. I may not make it to the ninth month (Or maybe I will. Who knows. We shall see.). But I can run today. And so I did. And so I will. As long as I am able.
– May 14th-21st it was the beach. Oh, the beach. I love the beach. I could (and might still) write a whole post about the beach. It inspires me in so many ways. It inspires me to spend time outside, out of the city, to enjoy the beauty and tranquility of God’s creation. It inspires me to travel. What a fascinating and magnificent planet we live on. I want to see more of it. It inspires me to spend more time with my family. All thirteen of them. They are amazing. And our family dynamic is pretty amazing too. And it inspires me to simplify. Everything we needed that week fit in the trunk of our car. Do we really need all of the other 2200 square feet of stuff that we came home to? It inspires me to run. And write. And take a deep breath. In so many ways it inspires me.
– This week it was the heat. That, combined with feeling so, so pregnant these days, has inspired me to drink more water. I have committed to downing 80+ ounces of water each and every day for the rest of this pregnancy. So far it has been surprisingly easy! (The only downside being how many freakin’ trips to the bathroom I make every day!)
– And two days ago it was an article in the “Davidson A.M” about Mayor Karl Dean and his challenge to the city to “Walk 100 Miles With the Mayor”. Running has evolved dramatically for me since getting pregnant in December. And as a result I have really struggled with motivation. But my days are so much better when I fit in a run (even a really short one!) and so is my health, my energy, my mood and my frame of mind. I have run/walked more than 136 miles this pregnancy. This article has inspired me to commit to running/walking, over the next 15ish weeks, another 150 more.
So with all that said…what’s inspiring you lately?
Wow, your blogs move me. I love you so much. What inspires me? I must think on that.
I have to say I was recently inspired by the last episode of “Oprah.” I want to matter and make a difference and felt like I wasn’t doing enough. Then Ryan gave me something to read that really put my role as a mother in perspective, comparing it to a monastic experience. Here are a couple of excerpts:
“Our home and our duties can, just like a monastery, teach us those things. For example, the mother who stays home with small children experiences a very real withdrawal from the world. Her existence is definitely monastic. Her tasks and preoccupations remove her from the centers of power and social importance. And she feels it.”
“Hence, a mother rearing children, perhaps in a way more privileged than even a professional contemplative, is forced, almost against her will, to constantly stretch her heart. For years, while rearing children, her time is never her own, her own needs have to be kept in second place, and every time she turns around, a hand is reaching out and demanding something. She hears the monastic bell many times during the day, and she has to drop things in mid-sentence and respond — not because she wants to but because it’s time for that activity and because time isn’t her time, but God’s time.”
I was too, Dana! I haven’t watched Oprah in a long time but I heard it was her last episode and was curious. I loved so much of what she had to say! In fact, I’ve been meaning to look for it online so I can hopefully watch it again and write down some of those quotes. So good! And thank you for sharing those excerpts from what you are reading. Is it a book or an article or what? Sounds like something I would appreciate reading. Thank you for reading and commenting! I hope you are doing well.
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