The little things that inspire us

I do not wake up everyday hell-bent on inspiring people around me. Not especially, when I stumble haplessly through life sometimes with the hope of being inspired myself. However, if every little that I had done could help make a difference to someone, then I am assured that I have woken up with a purpose.

Apparently my blog had inspired a friend to start writing. If you read her blog riddled with so much wit and humor at http://a40somethinglife.blogspot.com, I am glad that I had influenced her in the right direction. She had so much to give through her writing that I hope her efforts would pay forward to another inspired soul who could write equally beautiful prose that may bring warmth and laughter to those who read it.

Perhaps, through my blog, I had reminded her that she could touch other people by writing from the depths of her heart because she was such a beautiful and giving person.

Apparently the Tarot cards I had read for a few friends had also inspired them to turn their respective situations around at my advice. I had a friend who approached my newly acquired art of interpreting Tarot cards with skepticism, waving her finger at me while reproaching me for pursuing a heathen practice that could justify my getting burnt at the stake. However, out of curiosity and in a bid to be entertained by my court-jester's antics in clumsily shuffling the Tarot cards, she wanted to have me read her cards "just once for a laugh".

Like most readings that I had done before, I preceded the session with a warning that I would just read what the cards tell me as truthfully as I could. The cards that she had picked were wrought with so much negativity directed at her current marital situation which I wasn't privy to. So while she listened to my detailed interpretation of her cards in obvious horror, I then proceeded to hold her hands while telling her that the Tarot cards were not a fortune-telling tool, but were rather, a reminder that she could influence the outcome positively or she could open her mind to a different perspective about the outcome. Inspired by my advice, she made strides to have more meaningful conversations with her husband and spent more time with her family. It had been 3 weeks and from what she had shared with me yesterday, happily, the couple hadn't stopped talking since.

Perhaps, through the cards, I had reminded her that she had a gift of a beautiful family that she should never take for granted.

Funnily, as I touched people in however strange a situation has presented itself, many people have touched me in the same way.

David is a perfect example. He performed at 2 gigs over the St Patrick's Day weekend at Boat Quay to roaring success. I was inspired, not because he had played to a full house of thunderous applause and wonderful support from friends. I was inspired by his commitment to the performance, dedicating every evening for the last few months to diligently practicing the songs either with his band mates or on his own.

Now, David is not a rock star. While I am quite sure that he had harbored that ambition to be one when he was 13, he is as much a rock star as I am a Sports Illustrated model. Yet, the past couple of months saw me living the life of a band widow. I had been working late most nights, coming home to a lonely dinner with only McCoy, the attorney from my favorite tv program, Law & Order for company. At almost midnight, David would walk in with his guitars and other equipment, exhausted, having just ended his band practice. And when he wasn't practicing with his band mates, to my annoyance, he would be singing along to his guitar, drowning out McCoy's cross-examination of the accused on the witness stand.

Well, the practice paid off. I was so inspired by that dedication.

Amazingly, as David was practicing to perfect his performance, Joel found himself a new hobby. He stood by his Pops to learn everything he could to improve his photography techniques. Every chance he got, he would follow David to his band practice, rugby tournaments, and jamming sessions just to take as many photographs as he could. So I have dedicated the photos within this blog entry to Joel. They were his best photography work yet.

Another person I was inspired by in his band, was Declan. Beneath that exterior of a quiet and gentle Irish man, was this mean bass guitarist who picked up the instrument only last December. I could hardly believe that it was through sheer dedicated practice that he could perform with such ease last weekend while enjoying every minute of it. He deserved my respect surely.

One shouldn't look too hard to find life's little inspirations. I was lucky because they were always right in front of me.