via http://www.havingmycake.com

This morning as I moved through the asanas I know, I reflected upon the theme of Inspiration.  Where do I find inspiration?  Where do others find their inspiration?  I wasn’t limiting my musings to that of writing only, but inspiration in the broader sense, such as when I moved deeper into the last asana for the morning, the Child’s Pose, and felt my right hip painfully crunch and pop.  I was inspired to continue the daily yoga I’ve been doing because I know the crunching and popping joints will dwindle.  At least I hope they will.  But maybe that falls more into motivation than inspiration.

Regardless of my mental quibbling over possible semantics, I find that I am inspired, motivated and influenced to do, say or write about a great many things.  For instance, yesterday, I got to chat with a friend clear on the other side of the planet.  They have a hell of a job and when we’re chatting I know that our conversations are ultimately an escape from the monotonous, emotionally draining, and ultimately lonely days doing what they do.  So after the initial pleasantries and “Hi!  How are you’s”, conversation turned to things outside the scope of our work.  Diversions of music and movies or discussions of philosophical nature remind them that they are still, in fact, “human”.  These conversations also remind me that my self-coaching of telling myself that I never know what people are dealing with mentally must never be forgotten.  My friend has seen things I can only fathom, but they are definitely human.  They inspire me to keep going when the going gets tough.  To keep a stiff upper lip.  To keep calm and carry on.  Yes, all clichéd phrases, but if some things in life were easy, everyone would do them.  You’re welcome for that last cliché.

via http://fiftytwochanges.com

Inspiration, for me, often comes from conversation.  This is particularly true for writing, and deep conversations grease the wheels in my mind and get them turning.  Last evening I had a conversation, via chat, with a friend of over twenty years that was a continuation of a previous day’s topic.  The root subject was the concept, or idea, of “control” and my relationship with it; of course – I was inspired to write about the subject – that post will be coming soon.

And that brings me to today, or rather, Sunday morning.  My yoga complete, my Cacao-Banana Smoothie blended and partially drank,  I was inspired to greet the sunrise.  I took my Android and padded out onto the porch and sat down on the top step.  It was overcast, cloudy and if the sun was peeking over the horizon to the east, I couldn’t see it.  I attempted a photo, but ended up with an overexposed image of the American flag that hangs by the steps and so I set the phone down, leaned forward, wrapped my arms around my legs, my chin cradled between my kneecaps and was inspired to just listen to the world wake up.

The hiss of the soaker hose as it watered my flowers.  The bark of alarm from a squirrel because I was outside.  The local birds warming up their vocal chords for their morning chorus.  The crickets chirping in the grass and the soft drone of the cicadas in the trees before the heat of the day caused them to buzz at full volume.  I find nature inspiring.

How are you inspired?