By Maggie Lyon
I am an inspiration junkie. I love the feeling of being deeply inspired. Who in your life arouses these feelings in you?
Inspiration is a whacky singular thing. No two people could ever possibly be inspired by all the same greats, though there are of course mass overlaps when it comes to the luminescent icons of our time, the visionaries who inspire the world. Still, some inspirations are so close and intimate that no one else might ever see or imagine their incredible power to open the heart of another.
Years ago someone said to me,“There’s no right or wrong to your feelings.” There’s equally no right or wrong to who inspires you. They might simply be solid people, or huge walking hearts, or amazing talents, or wise teachers. There is no hard-and-fast rule—anyone can inspire. What’s important is that you are more open and awed and awake when in their midst; that these inspirations not only deeply touch you, but move you to emanate your own magnificence.
Dorothy Whipple, one of my favorite British writers, wrote in her novel Greenbanks:
“Mmmm,” said Charles. “The French have an expression ‘Bon comme le pain.’ When I heard it, I thought of you. You’re good, like bread; you’re essential, you know, Mother. The world couldn’t get on without people like you.”
Don’t this son’s words to his mother capture, to a tee, the feelings that our own inspirations elicit?
It is so vital to take the time once in a while to appreciate these lights; these beacons that have palpably made our lives, and often many other lives around them, better. Why not make a list? Then some calls? Or why not send out emails and tweets? Or post something on the Facebook pages of your personal inspirations? Let them know that they have inspired pivotal moments in your life, and that the world wouldn’t be the same without them. Now’s as good a time as any.
My grandmother, Sylvia, though she’s been gone now for nine years, is my essential inspiration, the “good like bread” beam of glorious hope that will always see me through. I know she feels how safely nested she is in my heart, that she lives on eternally in spirit. And that she will forever float alongside me in all my endeavors, triumphant or failed, because she, of all people, taught me about love; and love is, after all, the marrow of life.
Sylvia, brightest light of them all, this one’s for you.
My beautiful and inspiring grandmother, Sylvia.
Maggie Lyon is a writer on wellness and spirituality, a motivational speaker, and a holistic lifestyle consultant. A practitioner of Zen Buddhism and Iyengar yoga for the past twenty years, Maggie is committed to guiding others on their individual quests to awaken to the sweetness in life. For more on Maggie, check out her blog LyonLifestyle.com or on FACEBOOK or TWITTER.
