I am thinking about inspiration today.  It could be that I feel that I need some.  Despite the multitude of prompts that can be found in the writing world, sometimes you want that concept that captures your attention and fires your imagination.

The thing about inspiration is that you never know where or when it is going to hit you.  Sometimes all you have to do is walk around the block and you will be inspired with thoughts or feelings. Sometimes, you just need to sit down and start writing until something good comes out.  (and sometimes nothing good comes out…)

Today, I happened to think of this video.

There she was an ordinary woman.  No one expected much from her.  The judges and audience had crossed her off before she opened her mouth.

And then she opened her mouth.

And the world stopped and looked.

I think Susan Boyle can be an inspiration for all of us.  We don’t all look like Angelina so the world may overlook us at first glance.  They may not expect much from us.  But yet we can all use our talent to surprise and please our audience and even our personal judge.

Susan Boyle did not just open her mouth that night.  She had used her talent on much smaller stages in the past.  She had her dream and she worked toward it.  Her dream might have come true much later in life than she would have liked but she did perform on the big stage.

She got past the naysayers from her village.  She got past the biggest judge of all – the one in her head that told her she was not going to make it.  Getting past that judge is the hardest of them all.  But she did it.   

So whatever your dream, whatever your talent, it takes work.  It may not come easily but being able to do that happy dance on the stage of life will be worth it.  Find a way to silence your inner judge and shine for the world to see.

She believed.  Do you?

Posted on by Carol Early Cooney | 1 Comment

CHILDHOOD

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I love this picture of my neighbor.  She is so busy with her childhood.  She is all action and movement.

But I am torn. There is something else that the word “childhood” evokes.   Books.  Stories.  Adventure. Kindness.  Love.  They can all be found in children’s books.  My Mom did not save the books of my childhood. I made sure to  save my children’s books.  And there they are just as they would be when my children were little.  Waiting for a cuddle and a read.

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There you are – childhood is action, movement, cuddles, and stories.

Posted on by Carol Early Cooney | 3 Comments

Red

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  • This bloomed for you
  • It must have known

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  • Greeting the day
  • Bright and bold

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  • Nature’s red
  • Lit by spring

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  • White will wait
  • Her quiet turn

 

This is my efforts for Day 3 of the 30X30 Creative Challenge from Khara House.  If you would like to know more about the challenge, please go to http://www.kharahouse.com/p/thirty-by-thirty.html.

 

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Weekly Photo Challenge:signs

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For this week’s Photo challenge from WordPress, I decided to share two signs that are in my office.

They sum things up pretty well.

 

 

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Shopping at Target or How I Spent Our Retirement Fund

 

I went to Target this morning.  If you are like most people I have talked to, that sentence stirs a feeling of dread.  Dread, you ask?  Yes, because most people I have talked to have the same experienced that I have every time I go to Target.  

I go in for 4 items and walk out with 10.  

It happened again today.  I went in to get some allergy medicine, some allergy eye drops, (sense a trend?), some vitamins, and some clarifying shampoo.  If I had stuck to my guns, this trip would have cost maybe $30.

Instead, I spent $66 and that was after I saved  5% by using a Target charge card.  I had resisted the charge card until my last visit when I decided that if I was spending that much money, I ought to save something.  

I didn’t even get the clarifying shampoo.  

So, how did they get me to spend the extra money?  Part of me is bewildered because I can’t believe it is their spectacular marketing. I will admit that I was a little down in the dumps this morning and I decided that I could get a small treat.  

Are you thinking something wonderful and fun?  Guess again.  Perhaps as an indication of my state of mind, I bought some decorated file folders.

WHAT?? 

You read that correctly.  I bought some decorated file folders as a treat.  As I write this, I know that I sound really pitiful.  

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Since the file folders were less than $5, what else made up my shopping extravaganza?  I picked up two rolls of shipping tape (I use that for work and did almost need it), two antiperspirants (your welcome, friends and neighbors), a package of pens, a package of razors, and 2 packages of 3 flags to put in the flower pots in the front of the house.  

And the one item that I consider the score of the morning.  (Since the flags were $1 per package this better be good) I found a copy of the movie The Princess Bride for $4.75.   The online book group I belong to is reading the book and then we are going to watch the film together. (Hey, it is twitter and we can tweet through the movie.  This also sounds sort of pitiful but since the members live across the U.S. this is how we communicate.) It seems that I am the only one who has not seen the movie.  This movie obviously has a fan club as the members are quoting it insistently.  I finally gave up and said that I would watch the movie before I finished the book.  (If you would like to join us, we meet on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month at 9 p.m. Eastern time on Twitter.  The name of the chat is #wschat)  

See, I didn’t buy anything that stupendous or even interesting.  But still the geniuses at Target got more money from me than I meant to give them.  I feel frustrated that they win every time.  

But I did get some cute file folders.

Posted in Miscellaneous Thoughts | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments