To Live an Inspired Life...

My kids (and I use that term very loosely these days) are getting to the age where they are seeking their purpose as young adults in this world. Some of my happiest times (ever) are sitting down and having deep discussions about life, love, sex, psychology, relationships, careers, etc. with my progeny.

In doing so, my daughter and I found ourselves at the subject of our 'calling'.

My friend Mandy once (or often) used the phrase 'to live an inspired life' when we'd discuss dreams and aspirations. It was this concept that I chose to impart to my daughter on this particular occasion.

Her father is my polar opposite. He is structured, organized, meticulous and ultimately most comfortable with routine. I am impulsive, disorganized, blithe, and happiest following where the wind takes me. I'm hoping that our genetic cocktail has passed on in the form of her father's work ethic and her mother's passion. One can hope...

But it was after all of this that I found myself pondering the very concept I had just imparted to my daughter. Living an 'inspired' life... even as I write this, I have three additional tabs open on my browser (not including Facebook)... one is m-w.com, and the other two are google search results for 'inspired lives' and 'divine inspiration'.

The latter is the concept I'm most familiar with, having grown up in an environment that believed that everything in life was a matter of divine inspiration. The other search result yields a mix of yoga and life coaching sites among some small gems and inspirational stories. The former tells me that 'inspired' is simply defined as "outstanding or brilliant in a way or to a degree suggestive of divine inspiration".
So... wait... the concept of 'divine inspiration' is actually used in the Merriam-Webster definition? Apparently so.
And then I have an hourlong argument in my head that if a life is brilliant to a degree 'suggestive' of divine inspiration, then is it truly 'inspired' or just suggestive of it? But I digress...

My point being that I've always aspired to live an inspired life. As my daughter would put it, "I need a reason to jump out of bed in the mornings."

I need to love what I do or my attitude and my outlook goes to shit. That's just the long and short of it. And so, I pursue ventures in my life that take me in that direction. To many (and even to myself) I live an inspired life.

And yet... as I've started to document my day-to-day activities, I realize that my life is also very mundane and dare I say 'normal' in so many ways.

I wake, I drive the kids, I write, I edit, I write more, I take pictures, I edit pictures, I sing scales, I work/read scripts. I pick the kids up, I cast/sand/paint a belly, I shower, I tinker with show promos/posters/website/marketing stuff (or take a nap), I make dinner (or continue said nap), I play/talk/do homework/goof-off with the kids, I fart around on Facebook throughout. I sleep.

Oooh. Glamorous.
Not exactly what I think of when I imagine an 'inspired' life.

And yet... It could be argued that we all lead inspired lives. Every one of us. Divinely inspired.
I mean, it's difficult for me to experience a beautiful sunset or natural landscape without feeling the presence of God. Moreso, I cannot look at my children without knowing that they are divinely inspired beings. Even the secular definition of 'divine' suggests an otherworldly deity by using the word "supreme"... as in 'highest rank'.

I think the ultimate truth is experienced when we follow our calling, our passion, our 'inspiration', if you will. That sense of purpose, that reason to jump out of bed in the mornings. Whether it is our partners, our children, our pets, or our jobs that motivate us, the objective is the outstanding brilliance that suggests divine inspiration.

I would argue that this is the basis to any Christian lessons I learned about leading by example or channeling the Holy Spirit into good works.

To follow your calling... whether it be to teach, to heal, to protect, to entertain, to provide or to promote... by doing so (and doing so well) I would argue, is to live an inspired life.

I want to life my life to the fullest, and so I pursue my passions; knowing that the trade-off is that I will probably always be poor. I feel like it has forced me to know myself better and to understand my capacity for courage in the face of naysayers and critics.
No, I don't live in a grand house or have a gorgeous car. I don't have a 401k or even a legitimate savings plan. (And yes, I do think it's possible to have both financial stability and a passion-filled inspired life. I just haven't mastered that balance yet.)

But I jump out of bed every morning. I love the life I live and the work I do.

So today... and every day... I strive to spend a good chunk of time doing something that I can lose myself in for the sheer joy of doing what I love. I call it 'me time' or a 'solo date'. Sometimes I write, sometimes I sing, sometimes I draw or color (even though I'm horrible at both). Sometimes I knit, sometimes I read... but I rarely end up watching TV or movies. More often, I end up creating something. Sometimes I create something that's kinda awesome. Just by accident.

Then again, it can be argued that every 'accident' is still divinely inspired...

And that, my friends, is where I do believe that we all lead inspired lives. Lives where we create beautiful things... sometimes just by accident.