Great Inspirations

ME7: My Inspirations

Amelia Earhart—I can’t say I know a lot about her, but I have long been inspired by Earhart’s visionary feminism, ground-breaking achievements, and courageous spirit. A quote of hers holds enduring meaning for me, as it has inspired my own struggle for courage and inner peace:
“Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace. The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things—knows not the livid loneliness of fear.”
I have learned that it’s actually little things that foster our fears. And once one stops “sweating the small stuff,” the trail through life becomes much smoother.

ColourLovers—This is probably on everyone’s list. In my case, I have always wanted to be an artist. I still don’t see myself as one, but the wonderful people here have inspired me to pursue this dream during the second half of my life.

The Road Less Traveled—I read this best-seller by M. Scott Peck in my late twenties, and it guided me to understanding that life is about the choices we make. The book captured my attention from the very first paragraph:
“Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult—once we truly understand and accept it—then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.”
Over the years, I’ve found Peck’s book to be totally true. It is not the challenges that make us happy or sad. It’s the way we choose to deal with them. This was a pivotal revelation to me and helped me let go of my painful childhood.

Joy—I was also in my late twenties when I met this long-lost friend whose name is Joy and who epitomized that name. From her I learned there are actually happy people in this world, something I didn’t think was possible. She loved and believed in me as no other person ever has. And with that, she changed my life forever.

God—This one is kind of hard to reveal, but, in my early thirties, I was visited by God. The story behind that moment is a long one and perhaps will come out here at a later time. Suffice it to say I had abandoned God the year before, reached a moment of total despair with no place to go, and finally relinquished my fate, with anguished pleas, to God’s hands. It was midnight as I walked into my apartment, sobbing, and I was still in tears when I climbed into bed. Suddenly, a light filled the room and a great peace descended on me. Then these words filled me: “Just as you love your child, so, too, do I love you.” And with that, an enormous rush of love flowed into me, and I fell soundly into deep sleep. I was awakened the next morning by a (dare I say, miraculous?) phone call that answered my prayers with good news. For the next six months, I quite literally had a love affair with God, and through that unparalleled love, discovered my soul and God within me. To this day, though I am totally against religions, I have a deep and abiding faith that has never failed, even through the worst of times.