"...but we do have a Vespa"

Listening to the radio this morning, I heard an interview with a couple who will be traveling 1200 miles in one week on a scooter (well, two scooters, actually) to raise money for an organization founded by missionaries bringing clean water to third world countries (Hydromissions International). This is just one couple who decided to draw attention to a good cause.

Bringing clean water to impoverished communities is an issue close to my heart. A year and a half ago I traveled to Nicaragua for a week to do just that. There were plenty of wells in the community, but they were all open, contaminated wells not fit for drinking water. My "job" there was to help teach hygiene to the community, and we spent a lot of time just playing with the kids too. There was one boy there named Jorge, about 14 years old, who sat out one game of Frisbee because he said his "kidneys hurt." At the time I thought that was odd. I'd never heard anyone say that before, and he might as well have told me that his spleen hurt. Only after I got home did it occur to me how dense I was for not making the connection that kidneys regulate the body's fluids, and anyone without access to clean drinking water could very likely have hurting kidneys! But we are fortunate to live in a society where babies do not routinely die of dehydration and the average 14-year-old boy does not have kidney problems.

So I think it's awesome this couple has taken up this particular cause. They are a young couple, and I'm betting they probably have a scooter because they don't have a lot of money, but they are doing what they can with the resources they have. One line on their website says, "We don’t have millions of dollars or celebrity status, but we do have a Vespa." I don't know whether that line is intended to be funny, but I think it is. It sounds like a version of something you would hear in Get Smart or a Naked Gun movie. "You think you've caught me...but you haven't counted on the fact that I'm hiding this fancy dart gun I have no idea how to use properly." Or in this case, a Vespa (which, fortunately, they do know how to use properly). Similarly fascinating to me is that the couple who founded Hydromissions International spends their Saturdays making soap out of their one-car garage, and this soap is now sold in 19 states (and online). I guess soap and water go hand in hand, but how exactly does one come to ask, "Hey, honey, why don't you and I start making soap out of our garage?" I guess I am just not that creative, and I'm certainly not that much of an entrepreneur. But then again, I think I could be if I just decided to come up with an innovative way to support a worthy cause.

And now it's your turn. If you're reading this, you almost certainly do not have millions of dollars or celebrity status, but what do you have that you should not underestimate? What resources could you use in either surprising or predictable ways for "the greater good"? A particular talent? Clothes you really should donate anyway? Your own blog? If this cause or this couple's journey speaks to you, I would encourage you to spread the word and/or follow this link to donate out of your own abundance. (Or buy some soap.) Even just one month's Starbucks or soda allowance can go so much further toward giving others the gift of clean water.

Playing with semantics

You all have convinced me that inspiration is not as straightforward as I had thought. Jill commented that she was easily motivated but not easily inspired. I found that interesting because I think of motivation as being harder to come by than inspiration. My interpretation is that a person can be inspired without necessarily acting, but to be motivated implies that there has been or will be action. Shannon was contemplating something similar on her blog, asking what it takes for inspiration to translate into action--especially long-term action. So I figured it was time to dig a little deeper.

Merriam-Webster gave me more definitions of inspiration than I wanted, but two of them best capture my interpretation of the word: "the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions" and "the act of influencing or suggesting opinions." So inspiration moves us and has the potential to influence us. Personally, I've found that if I don't dwell on moments of inspiration, I will pretty much immediately forget all about it and very little influence is involved. I'm not sure I've managed to clarify anything with this post, but if you've changed or added to your ideas of what inspires you, I'd love to read your thoughts.

This post has been much more dry than I would have liked, so I'll leave one last question, just for fun. Justin's out flying tonight and I haven't made too many friends here yet, so I'm home alone attempting to entertain myself. When you're home alone and don't want to be and have nothing left to cross of your to-do list, what do you do to pass the time?

These two inspire me

Meet Matt and Ann (if you haven't already). We were privileged to have them stop and stay with us for much of this weekend in the midst of their traveling.

This is a picture of Matt and Ann dancing at our wedding after he caught the garter and she caught the bouquet. They weren't yet dating, but they are now engaged and planning a December wedding! Justin and I are honored to share that part of their history. Individually, they are people you can't help but love--full of talent, energy, and the desire to use all of that to serve God and others. As a couple, it is stunningly obvious how well they complement and bring out the best in each other, and I am so excited to see what God has ahead for them in marriage.

Now, I don't want to give the impression that I think Matt and Ann are any more suited for each other or that God has destined them to do greater things than any other couple. I think it's up to each of us individually to make the most of our relationships. And that is why they are a couple who inspire me--because the love, encouragement, and support they give each other seems to flow from them so easily. I know this will sound cheesy (it can't be helped, at least not by me), but couples like Matt and Ann make me want to be a better spouse and to love Justin better, in a way that will always bring out the best in him. Because bringing out the best in someone means enabling him (or her) to be full of surprises. You never know what to expect when you're headed uphill, and the higher you go, the more magnificent the view.

Whether you choose to share or not, who do you admire as a couple and why? What inspiration can you take from them and put to use to make the most of your relationships, even if it's just for today?

The inspiration behind this blog

So, I've had it in the back of my head for months now to start a blog, but I don't want to start one unless I have something to say. After all, what is a writer without a message? I can string words together all day long, but I'd sure like them to amount to something at the end of the day.

The past several months I've been feeling aimless. I'm keeping myself fairly busy with freelance editing work, but the second I have free time I don't have the first clue what to do with myself. And then I wonder if editing is really what I want to be doing with my time. When I'm home by myself, working or not, it is all too easy for me to sulk in a feeling of loneliness. (Two purchases should help to relieve that problem a bit--a second car, which we bought today, and a beagle, which we will be bringing home in the very near future.) At any rate, the same question has been lingering with me for months. God, how do you want me to serve you with my time? I can't shake the feeling that there has got to be something else.

Part of my aimlessness lately has involved wandering around other people's blogs--whether I know the people behind them or not. During today's wanderings I stumbled onto this post, and it motivated me. I took home two key points: 1) It takes as much energy to dream big as it does to dream small. 2) People who write down their dreams are much more likely to actually work toward them and accomplish them. I've always admired the ability of my friends to dream big. Leah's probably one of the biggest dreamers (and achievers) I know, and she writes down her goals.

I'm not a fan of lists, as Justin will certainly tell you, but I started to think this particular blogger was onto something. The aimlessness I've been feeling lately has nothing to do with a lack of options and everything to do with a lack of direction, for which I have no excuse. I've used marriage and change as my excuse to shut off and let someone else take the reigns whenever possible. And I feel a heck of a lot more boring when I let that happen. It's time for me to stop waiting for direction to fall from the sky (or from other people who indulge me in that respect) and start forming opinions and decisions for myself.

This is where everyone reading this blog comes in. Please, leave comments about your inspirations or about anything you would like to discuss that inspires you or others. You could very likely see a post about it in the near future.

So, how about it? What inspires you?