Olympic Thoughts

Watching the Olympic opening ceremonies tonight reminded me how important it is for writers to find fresh sources of inspiration each day.

To a child, almost everything is new. For adults, it's so easy to become jaded to the wonders and miracles that fill each new day. We have so much drudgery each day, things we have to do and things others expect us to do. Sometimes we just curl up into a little ball like an armadillo and see nothing as we roll through life.

There's an old saying:

Visit a city for a week, and you'll see almost everything.
Visit a city for a month, and you'll see many things.
Move to a city, and you'll see none of it.

We take too many things for granted. Writing is a privilege, an opportunity to discover and explore new parts of our inner selves. Just as the Olympic athletes let the challenges of competition inspire them to do things they never dreamed possible, maybe it's time we writers let the challenges of everyday life inspire us to create works we never dreamed possible.

Today is the day to find the flame burning inside of you... and feed it. Burn brightly and fiercely!