I'll be honest, last night I contemplated pulling the plug on my inspirations. Now that sentence has a double meaning, doesn't it? I've never been a quitter. Never.
I always find a way to complete or finish something I have committed myself to doing.
I remember the time I ran a half marathon in college. Half of the marathon was on the Washington Coast. The scenery was breathtaking, but it was very similar and there were times I felt like I was running in place with no end in sight. I'd look down at the sparkling sand and out at the ocean again and eventually I just fell into a rhythm. I was not the person running, I was part of all that I was seeing. When I took myself out of it, I actually finished the race happily.
When I wrote 365 lessons in 2010, I hit many walls. Blogging every single day is no easy task, but the people who came to my blog were so encouraging and I loved writing the posts. I made many friends during that year and met many of those bloggers in person. It was one of the best years of my life because so many unexpected things happened that year. While blogging every single day and teaching English, I also received agent representation, got a book deal and wrote a book!
If you ask me how I did that, I'll say, "I do not know!" In fact, there were honestly times when I truly felt the blog wrote itself. There were also times, after completing a chapter on my book, I'd sit there at the end wondering, "Did I just write all of that?" I was so absorbed in the process, that I became the process.
Recently I've gone back to full-time teaching. I love both writing and teaching, but felt last night the strain of not having enough time to do both. I came home at 10:00pm after teaching 6 hours at the college. When I opened the door, I staggered to the sofa and lay down, unable to move.
My husband said, cheerfully, "Can I make you something to eat?" He has always been my biggest cheerleader and the person who knows what to say at just the right time. I opted out of the food and chose to sink into a bubbly bath instead.
Before disappearing into my Calgon-take-me-away bath, I said to my husband, half-jokingly, "Will you write my blog post?" (He has actually been a guest writer on my blog in the past.) He laughed and said, "Take a rest tonight, you can write it tomorrow morning and everything will seem fresh again."
I slipped off my clothes and sank into the bathtub. Suddenly my husband popped in and set down a hot cup of fresh ginger and honey tea with a squeeze of lime on the side of the bathtub. I actually felt like crying when I tasted it. It was exactly what I needed at that moment.
So this cup of tea that was lovingly prepared by my husband has inspired me to keep going. Plus, I really do get so much out of writing these posts and the interaction with you all! Thanks for being here.
Have you ever felt like giving up on something, but somehow found the courage or energy to carry on? What inspired you to continue or keep going?
