Ah.  Well, back to a writing topic.  But it fits nicely with my streak of nostalgia in the past few entries, in my rather limited posting history of the last several months -- due to situations that may eventually become known on this blog but that I don't want to get into now.

What I want to begin with in the next set of writing-related entries involves that the creative writer, be s(he) a writer of fiction or of creative nonfiction, requires certain things from the world around him or her to function.

One of those things is sources of inspiration.  Which is what I want to write about in this particular blog entry.

How does that tie in to my musings on childhood beach outings and antique or classic cars in my last few entries?

Well, it can.  If such things serve as the background setting upon which we find written upon the slate of memory those events as remind of us of the "everyday heroes" we may cross paths with at any time during our day to day activities.

And there are many such inspirations out there in the world:  many of whom truly do not recognize themselves.

Writers, by nature, look to books [both fiction and nonfiction] for significant portions of their inspiration.

But, it is also the case that the best among the creative writers learn to, as more than one writer before me has put it, "pay attention in the moment."

I happen to be doing a great deal of inspirational reading lately, but that is [I hope, as events unfold] for another entry.

In this entry, I want to talk about some real folks who . . . in many cases unwittingly . . . have become inspirations to me.  They come from different walks of life.

One is a fellow Blogspot blogger, who makes some very cogent cases on many different topics.  His own perspective is atheistic, but he is well informed on Biblical Scripture.  He is respectful of commenters, expressing wilingness [as he has to me elsewhere in the context of a shared client environment] to be open to being convinced, yet maintains an genuineness in his perceptions as they exist 'at this time.'  A kind of courage of his convictions.

Another group of people I find inspiring [even though I know my life circumstances would prohibit my doing what they are doing] is the team that is setting up our next parish faith-sharing group, hosting the sessions, and the session leaders.

Particularly, I was delighted to learn that the group I requested as best suited to my schedule would again be held at the home of the woman who hosted one of the groups I attended in a previous program.

When I signed up, I was delighted to find that the session best suited to my schedule would be hosted by the same woman who had hosted a previous session I attended, along with her husband at that time.

Why should that even be such a surprise?  Well, during the prior session, her husband died fairly suddenly [although he had has some disbilities nearly all his life], and she had during her year of mourning not taken on such hosting duties.  A year during which she decided she was no longer capable of driving safely and had to give up her driving, so hosting the program cannot be easy because it usually involves some kind of snacks and coffee or tea.  Which now means planning to get to the grocery store.

Then, there's my friend [whose name I cannot reveal without her permission, which I do not at this moment have] who is a "medical miracle" survivor.

And another individual on my mind lately is a young man in a foreign land [which one I will not reveal without permission] who has strong ethics and big dreams . . . in a national environment that makes that a challenge for anyone.

I agreed, some months back, to work with this young man somewhat, to help with some learning including but not limited to writing skills.

In the most recent about two weeks, on several occasions interspersed through several different e-mails to me, this young man has made individual statements to which my perceptive response can best be described as "startled."

He has become exceedingly insightful in his evaluations of persons, situations, and written material.

Indeed, in my most recent e-mail this young man made a statement that had a far more powerful impact that he probably imagines.  And at least until some time has passed, it would be inappropriate for me to point out the specifics.

"Shocked" and "startled" do indeed apply to my response.  But it was more than that.  In a way, I was exceedingly upset.  Not in a bad way, mind you, but because I was proud.  And because of what that particular response, which had a two-level meaningfulness:  and one of those levels spoke to the potential of the kind of courageous person this young man is almost certain, to become.

To lighten the mood a bit, I thought I'd end with a bit of a word count.  The young gentlemen would probably be incredulous, but also find my evaluation of the meaning-to-word ratio humourous.

"Startled"

Twenty words.

"Shocked"

Seven words.

"Upset, but also proud"

Eighteen words [plus the last two words of the seven words in the previously noted statement.]

Total:  Forty five words, but clear and cogent that conveyed exactly [I'm reasonably confident] what the young man wanted to say to the reader.

I know only a few writers who could convey that level of meaning in that few words [something that my perception of would probably shock this young gentlemen.]

Three things are clear in this last case I'm putting forward in this entry:  1) none of my time or effort has been wasted, 2) this young man more and more each day demonstrates inspirational characteristics on a variety of levels, and 3) almost inevitably, this young gentlemen will one day enjoy regard as an "everyday hero."




Krista


www.kristawriter.com