What inspires you? Is it your experiences, your desires, your witty observations? Perhaps we all draw inspiration from our own sense of perspective; those moments when we realize that nobody has ever seen the world quite the way we are seeing it right then. Maybe we are the sum of our experiences and desires, but we are all gifted with the ever-present choice of being inspired. A state of mind is not an accidental happenstance, but a choice. At first it may be rare and cathartic, but eventually for some it's a necessary state of perpetual release and clarity.
For me, the purpose of inspiration is to feel fully alive. To realize the newness of each moment, the freshness of my ability to choose how I will perceive my circumstances. My most easy leap to inspiration is to laugh at myself or at my loved ones.
They say you are the average of your closest friends and family. They also say your friends are the family you choose. So, you can't choose your actual family members, but you can still choose to be inspired by them, even if not until you're fondly remembering them from a distance. Those inside jokes you share with siblings that to this day will bring a smile to your face; your parents' little sayings or habits that once drove you crazy now drive you to doing better for yourself, because they contained the wisdom of experience that once lacked context. Some people just choose to be inspired by others, because by proxy - as art appreciators, music-lovers, sports fans, movie buffs and as parents - we all inspire one another in our own way. We are all both inspired and inspiring. We are all students and we are all teachers. Even if we don't know it yet, it is up to each of us to find inspiration in everything we do. If you're anything like me, you don't like missing out!
So how do we cultivate inspirational flow? I have found that the most practical, grounding, simple and earthy tasks we can do tend to be the most inspirational to me. Perhaps because these are usually the tasks humans have been performing for thousands of generations and I believe that satisfies us at a primal level. There is something profound to be said for continuity and meeting our primal needs for human bonding and connection to the Earth. My greatest epiphanies have come to me while doing everyday things like nursing my infant son, planting my garden, creating an amazing salad, watching my cats playing or listening to inspired music. It is when we over-complicate our lives that we lack inspiration, isn't it?
Even simple curiosity is inspiring to most people, by lending ideas and motivating us unto action. We won't know if a movie is any good unless we go to see it, nor will we know for ourselves if we like a new restaurant if we have not tried its food. You don't often hear people talking about how they regretted attending a music festival or an art show. But if you don't have curiosity, you're likely to be both bored and boring. Inspired people, however subtle their experience with inspiration may be, are never boring. There is too much wonder to be found. If we become more like children, we might find what we need was always around us.
An attitude of innocent perception can be cultivated as an adult, but it is easier to maintain it in children. It is the parents teaching their children to be bored! Life can remain interesting as long as we are spared the judgements and preconceived ideas about everything we come into contact with. It is primal to show our children our hard work and how it relates to what we have in our lives, including money and even more importantly, precious time. Instead of distracting children with entertainment while we work in the garden, wouldn't it be better to give them duties? Little ones instinctively enjoy all of nature's most interesting toys, such as bugs, dirt, twigs, and of course, water. It's incredibly human to take your child to work, provided the environment is safe!
The more grounded we can get the more inspired we can get, which seems ironic since inspiration has such a spiritual connotation. Yet, revelling in simple, mundane, every-human tasks can render boredom completely impossible in one's life or vocabulary! When our basic needs are satisfied, we can enjoy the little things more. For me, the little things are children, pets, plants, music, art, learning and comedy. Notice I didn't say 'housework' or 'shovelling snow'. Yet, when I need to meet a need, I will glean satisfaction from clearing my path of even the dirty clothing and any amount of snow. So, it's not so ironic that our basic needs are exemplary of what also truly satisfies our souls. We are not the sum of our parts, we are much more.
"May you discover magnitudes of grace in the little things and may you find new depths in your ability to laugh at yourself." (Marna)
