Fierce Independence & Other Inspiration

It's fall in Dallas, TX and that means the State Fair is in town.  This year was Doss's first trip to the Fair and this little guy tore it up.  He really loved all the people, activities and especially the midway with the train ride, the airplane ride, the flying elephant ride. . . But on the way out, as we strode along this huge place filled with children, games, rides, food, excitement of all kinds, Doss took to a huge pillar and announced he was going to have a quick game of hide and seek.  I was to stand to the side, watch him count and soon he would be finding me in plain sight.  The rules didn't matter.  The place didn't matter.  All that mattered was this was a moment, and his idea would be the focus. Confident it was exactly right.  This moment, as seen through the eyes of this child, showed me so much.  He taught me to remember to follow my heart, go with my gut, and even in the face of skepticism, see the idea through.  Pass or fail, see it through.  We all hold the key to our own vision and we can't expect anyone else to understand.  At any other time we might have said to him "really?" "hide and seek? we just rode 15 rides and there is x,y, z to do right here" - that would be a grumpy old adult who only knows what seems "right" in the moment,. bound by so-called rules of the world. And I don't want to be that for him, and I'm so happy we went with it (as tired and "over it" as we were) with only one or two groans. And I'm so thankful that he did this for me, unintentionally showing me how to be fiercely independent and creative like a child, once again.  And I wouldn't have missed this moment of pure inspiration for the world.  

Other Inspiration:

Nothing makes me feel free and resets my mind like an open highway.  Sometimes we need wide-open space to remember how small we are, how big we can be, and how we fit in.

Do you ever feel like your time has passed?  Like maybe you are too old, too tied down, too tired to chase your dreams?  Me too. . . every now and again.  But this jam group of amazing musicians all over the age of 60 reminded me that when I feel that way it's just plain ridiculous.  These guys formed this jam group not too long ago and they are faithful participants in some amazing music making.  They may not be famous musicians but they are musicians making music, serious music.  And that counts.  It's never too late.

I mean, who doesn't love a stack of colorful polka dots?  I love them.  And they inspire me.  It makes me think of a million outfits, a canvas I should fill with color and dots, a box I should wrap, a gift I should give.  Inspiration is everywhere if we just remember to be open to it.  xx - m.m.