I’ve been in a negative place lately. Re-reading my last few posts, I have to admit that I sound exasperated with life. I fear I’ve been dumping on you, and I’m sorry.

I don’t want to get all Oprah here, but I’m thinking that the best way to redeem myself is to write about something uplifting and inspiring for a change. I can always go back to being myself later.

So, rather than take another trip down Exasperation Boulevard by analyzing the inner workings of my soul, I thought I’d write about a few of the things that speak to it.

My heart soars when I…

…hear my daughter’s laughter. Yes, it’s corny sentiment but it’s so true. Just thinking about her glowing face I can hear her infectious belly laugh in my ears and I feel, well, like giggling. My daughter inspires me to see the world, and all it’s silliness, with renewed appreciation.

…listen to the song, Dani California by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. There’s just something about the chorus of this song that transports me. No other song I can think of inspires me to think about my home from long ago. Whenever I hear it, I immediately envision the craggly hillsides and crashing waves of Laguna Beach on a summer evening.

…anything written by David Sedaris. As I read his current book, When You are Engulfed in Flames, I’m reminded of how far I have to grow as a writer. While Sedaris’ humorous essays aren’t particularly inspirational in a traditional sense, I find his comic timing impecable, and his delivery always surprising. There’s a lot to be said for anyone that can surprise me these days. But his writing somehow manages to surprise me about myself and that, in turn, inspires me to be a more creative writer.

…watch the big, fluffy evening storm clouds move across the southwest Florida skies. What Florida may lack for in dramatic coastlines, it more than makes up for with the ever-changing art gallery overhead. Between the vast cloud tops that appear to be lit with a spot light at sunset, like a glowing snapshot of a volcanic eruption cloud, and the evening skies that seem painted in a vivid wash of purple, pink, and gold, I find myself reaching for my camera nearly every night.

Aside from the sheer beauty of the skies, it’s the almost sacred quality inherent in their manufacture that I find awe-inspiring. I can certainly appreciate the enormous effort and innate creativity that goes into a human creating a work of art. Now that I’m older and possess a basic understanding of the sciencitific principles of cloud formation, I can’t help but to marvel at all of the chaotic elements and incomprehensible variables at play - water molecules, wind fluctuation, temperature, humidity, geography which all aligned and combined in a magical symphony to provide me with a brief, stunning display of texture, light and color. As I look up at their majesty I know, for a moment, why early man believed in gods of the sun and sky. How could you not believe, when faced with such spectacle?

*****

My wish for you my loyal drips, is that you find a moment or two to look outside or in for that which inspires you. Be it family, music, clouds, or even fireworks, put the ex in exasperation and try on some relaxation for a little while.