This site has been a great source of help and comfort for me at a very difficult time. Rather than dwell on my own situation, though, I've decided I'd like to contribute by posting quotes, thoughts, stories, etc. that can provide some inspiration and strength for all of us who've found ourselves here. If there are sources of inspiration that have helped you too, please add them here.
My inspiring tale for the day comes from charity: water Scott Harrison, founder of the aid organization charity: water. Unhappy with his life, he went from a high-paid glitzy life as a nightclub promoter in NYC to a volunteer photographer for a medical aid group working in Africa. This story isn't meant to dismiss the reality of anyone's pain here, but to show that transformation is possible, and a changed perspective can change your world.
Here's how he recounts his experience:
"In new surroundings, I was utterly astonished at the poverty that came into focus through my camera lens. Often through tears, I documented life and human suffering I'd thought unimaginable. In West Africa, I was a prince again. A king, in fact. A man with a bed and clean running water and food in my stomach."
I hope his perspective gives you a boost as much as it gave me.
M38, H37 S3, S7 Together 15 yrs Married 8 yrs Bomb July 2008 Inhouse separation "I hate you" "We are over" (too many times to count) Reconciled Sept 2009 (still worth it)
OK, for my post here today, I offer not so much a story of inspiration but a really neat and creative idea for someone who loves to travel but doesn't have much money. (Got this from a post to the Fly Lady.):
"Here's what I am doing: I am cooking my way around the world, one meal at a time! You see, I cant afford to travel right now, but why not experience food from every country in the world??? Even though there are 195 countries, I am not overwhelmed.. I just take it one country at a time! Each week I check off one country and it feels so GOOD! I'm doing my favorite things: learning about the world, cooking, writing, and meeting new people who comment on my blog. I'm amazed at how much joy I am finding in this project, especially the sense of accomplishment."
Seems like a very cool way to be creative, keep busy and feel like you've done something worthwhile when everything else in your life might be chaotic.
Here's my inspiration for today, from the NYT columnist Nick Kristof, who sadly lost his father just days before Father's Day, but wrote a beautiful column that concluded with this thought: "Celebrate the bequest of fatherhood with something simpler, deeper and truer than an artificial verse on a store-bought card. Speak and hug from your heart and soul — while there is still time."
How hard is it to GAL when your marriage appears to be crumbling before your very eyes? How hard is it to dance after you've been diagnosed with cancer? Actually, according to Indian dancer Ananda Jankar Shayant (http://blog.ted.com/2010/06/qa_with_ananda.php), it was the best thing she could have done:
"At the minute I was diagnosed with cancer, I decided not to focus on the whole thing. The only way I could escape focusing on the cancer was to focus on something that animated me and moved me and touched me. And, I found that in my dance. Dance is really who I am."
