Finding what or who inspires you...

So many people in my life inspire me so very much. This is a chance to call them out...

I am so inspired by my parents. I have blogged so much about my mom over these past few years...I don't really blog about my dad as much as I should. In the last few years, he made an impressive shift in his work life. He retired from working at the VA hospital, retired from military service, and shifted to beginning his journey towards becoming a Methodist pastor. To watch him evolve and grow and develop and nurture and succeed and share his faith with others around him is truly inspiring. I know that it takes a special kind of soul to serve in this capacity and to do it well. My dad has always been this kind soul, approachable, strong listener, and a VERY strong shoulder to lean on.

I am so very grateful for his guidance, for his ability to navigate through life, experience and yearning for the next adventure.

I am inspired every day by my husband.

To have the ability to put up with me as calmly as he does is quite impressive. HA HA HA!

Have you met me?

But he also has navigated through one 40 hour( sometimes more ) work week, and has driven himself to succeed by pushing himself to complete his Bachelor's degree in Accounting. He is so so so close and has done this with minimal complaining.

I love that about him.

I have grown to love and appreciate him even more as he helped me navigate my way through death, and I wish I could say that I was there to help him when death knocked at our door once again. He has always been so calm and collected and a pillar of strength for me.

What a difficult odd journey each of us takes when death visits!!

And it truly is different for each of us.

I am inspired by so many folks...

I am inspired by my cousin, Sherri, who is a fount of sheer love and support and sweet courage. She is forever a cheerleader and driven to succeed and create a life for herself that at times could appear out of the ordinary in regards to her family. She charts her own course and is the driver of her own journey. I have always appreciated that of her.

I am inspired and grateful to my godmother, Deb and her husband Paul. When Mom passed, they both stepped in and were there to offer the support. There were so many who did this...SUPER Grateful for this...And the more I look back over my life, Deb and Paul have always been there. Serving as a second set of parents...I could not have asked for a better godmother. Strong in spirit, strong in inspiration, strong in faith, strong in laughter and love. So grateful for the strong example they lead for all of us.

Grateful and inspired by so many friends...
To Emily...Such a strong passion for the arts, for life, has always had a strong mind for business and performing. Fought breast cancer and stands tall. Her creativity and depth of soul is awe inspiring to me.

To Brent...Worked hard to follow his dreams, setting goals for himself to become more, leaving performing to pursue a doctorate, all while living in Las Vegas. His spirit is always bubbling over and he is such an amazing listener.

To Patti...your creative spirit, your immense talent, your never-ending friendship and bottomless ability to brighten a room. Your heart is HUGE. Your friendship is glorious and completely dedicated. Always remember that no matter what life throws at you, whatever hurdle it may be, you are always there when folks need you and that you are appreciated. You are STRONG. You are GLORIOUS! You are BEAUTIFUL and GRACE incorporated.

To Erin...stepping outside the box to follow her passion for fashion and organizing one's life. She is always a source of humor and personality and embraces the importance of family and sharing and laughter. (and she always tries to get me to look at her girls...ha ha ha ha...and no.)

And Kim
And CK
And Jeremy.
And Ryan.
And Steve.
And John.
And Jason.

My goodness...I could go on and on and on. I am such a lucky man to have so many positive people in my life who support and nurture and bring me such joy.

I am inspired by the NLR theater friends I have made along the way...Terri for her honesty, her drive, her focus and strong organizational focus and shoulder. Always dedicated to the better good.  For her ability to rock her way through adverse situations. To navigate her through her own cancer as well as her husbands with grace was a huge example in my mind and heart. For Klucher who never ceases to amaze me with his creativity, his evolution of design and HUGE heart. I am in awe and so grateful for his strong shoulder and his ability to listen and help and be there when needed the most. For Christen and her bubbly spirit and energy. No matter how much is on the plate, she brings energy and spirit to whatever she undertakes. For Shelle...your spirit, your creativity, the vast amount of knowledge you bring to the table is something I have always looked up to. I am grateful to you for your ability to listen, to help, to navigate with great positive feelings. Your ability to reach students and focus on their strengths and allow them to grow from there is nothing short of greatness. To Hannah, I am grateful for your friendship, your big heart, your strong shoulder, and for your vast knowledge of technology. I appreciate the energy you bring to every event, moment, and interaction...whether it is by students or co-workers.

Jonathan Howle...a member of my Actor's Studio cohort who is such a super sweet soul...we lost touch after I moved away from NYC, but I have stayed in touch by watching him navigate through posts on Facebook. He has grown and grown, teaching and nurturing so many around him, and is moving forward getting his doctorate and he continues to be such a source of inspiration for all who encounter his sweet spirit.
SO many of my cohort continue to be such inspiration to me...Rhea, Naveen, Cooper, A'ndrea,, Kari, Richard, Sean, Sara, David, Achilles, Brian...living their fullest, truest selves...bringing their voice to the arts across this country...and I continue to be in awe of all they have and continue to accomplish.

On a broader scale...so many celebrities in our society have brought us their truth...

Oprah continues encouraging us to dig deeper and find out better selves...tuning in to what makes us whole, what makes us spiritual.

Ellen...by being such an inspirational example on how to live our lives. I was just watching her 60th birthday special of her talk show and she closed it by speaking about her life's journey, embracing her truth, living honestly, not only with yourself, but also with those around us, and encouraging us to "be kind to one another" and this very statement could not be more important these days in America.

I am currently inspired by interviews I have seen with the Obamas. If you have not had the chance to watch David Letterman's interview with our former President, or Ellen's current interview with our former First Lady, these are must watches. One of the things they have each said, and I agree with, is that a portion of the United States live in FEAR of what the other half cheers, which just goes to show the division present in our country. And there are NO signs that this is going to be fixed in our current situation. Not even in the discussion.

And folks can say, "Oh 45 is doing so well. 45 is a unifier of the country. He is a man of God." Heck he even attempts to tout his own praises and ridiculousness just comes out of his own mouth. 

Yet actions speak louder than words and his actions are despicable. 

And folks are buying it.

Hook, line, and sinker.

And it is disgusting.

Yet, when faced with such division, with so much hatred, with so much animosity and ridicule, and in the face of all that 45 has reversed, the Obamas continue take the high ground. 

When you are faced with all the trials and tribulations of the presidency and government, and can emerge still married (their only marriage), have raised two wonderful daughters, and remain encouraged about our nation's future, encouraging each of us to focus on the good,or to even be the good...

THIS SPEAKS VOLUMES TO ME.

Enough inspiration for today.

Love each of you.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

My friend

Go out there and find what and who inspires you for today.

For tomorrow.

For your future.
Thank them for their contribution to your life.
And to others.
With great immense gratitude.

I am so grateful for the inspiration each of you bring to my life and am so grateful for each of you!

The inner music....

Every since I can remember, I have always had a piece of music that became my theme song, my mantra, the undercurrent of my current mindset in my life's course...and it has fluctuated depending on where I was in my life...

When I was the angsty young adult growing up and searching for Prince Charming, struggling with coming out and all that process entails, meeting lots of potentials and slowly experiencing them as duds or not good matches, not meeting expectations that were too huge, of my own doing, or falling in love with the wrong guy...falling in love with the right guy at the wrong time...and not ever truly finding what I needed...and for some reason my heart-song molded itself to the song, "On My Own" from the musical Les Miserables. 

"I love him but everyday I'm learning. 

All my life, I've only been pretending. 

Without me, his world will go on turning. 

A world that's full of happiness that I have never known." 

Holy crapballs, that reads so melodramatic...and yet so much truth... but then it definitely was those high school/college years.

Jump Ahead...
I moved onward to New York City and needing to find my inner strength to persevere, to survive, to navigate my way  through the fear and electricity of living in the city and through the craziness...and the tune playing over and over in my head was "Let It Sing" from the musical Violet.

"Two kinds of people in this world. 

Some say YES and some say NO. 

Time to say which side you're on....
Eeeny Meeny Miney Moe. 

Say YES and your adventures starts, 
not always as expected. 

Say NO you stay apart...but you stay protected."

And now jump ahead and I have found another anthem. And it is powerful. And it is perfect. From the current movie, "The Greatest Showman" it is an amazingly inspiring song that speaks to the level of where I am at. I am not going to shy away from not being me. I am going to continue living my truth, being who I am meant to be and doing what I am meant to do.

"When the sharpest words wanna cut me down. 

I am gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out. 

I am BRAVE. 

I am BRUISED. 

 I am who I am meant to be. 

THIS IS ME. 

Look out cause here I come, and I am marching to the beat I drum. 

I'm not scared to be seen. 

I make no apologies, 

THIS IS ME."

This is a video that showcases the first work-shopping moments of this amazing song and you can just hear the passion, the drive, the importance of this song and its lyrics. You can feel the tears just begin to fall as everyone feels the power of this creative moment...

It always brings tears to my eyes. 

I feel empowered. 

I feel important. 

I feel driven to do more, be more, and not apologize for my life and for who I am.

Cue the tears...

And go SEE THIS MOVIE!!!!

It is important to find your voice, find the tune of your life, find the music of your soul...

AND LIVE IT OUT FULLY AND BEAUTIFULLY!

Women Vs. Men and their treatment

What an awesome exercise.

What a lesson in educating others about equality and how things currently stand in the Legislative Branch of American Government.

And if only our Congress MEN would watch this, actually listen to what is being discussed and agree to lead by this example rather than by the current indignant bravado, swagger, closed minds and hearts, and absolute stupidity.

It is absolutely disgusting to me that our male members of Congress shut their female counterparts down, don't allow them to speak, ridicule them, don't allow them to stand at the table to make decisions concerning health issues and their own bodies...this photo disgusted me...

These men are acting like petulant children obsessed with the power they have been granted.

I firmly believe that this will change.

I believe these men are on a pedestal made of sand.

I know that change is coming and will be different in the next few years.

We have finally seen the arrival of the #METOO movement.

We have seen the "Time's Up" movement take hold.

We have seen the women of America find their voice...heck...they always had their voice...but now are feeling stronger and more empowered to use it...

They are marching.

They are speaking out.

They are not backing down.

They are sharing their minds and their opinions and they are becoming stronger and stronger and I could not be more proud and excited by it all.

I think the male dominated Congress and 45's America are about to be shook in the next few years...and I am ready for it.

It is TIME.

Change is coming!

And I say BRING IT!

If only some would learn...

If only folks could learn this...

Make what you say IMPORTANT

Sometimes it just feels like people are talking AT each other.

People in leadership don't think before they speak...thinking that every moment has to be blasted out via Twitter, via Facebook, via airwaves...regardless of truth, regardless of tone, regardless of others. And then they wonder why folks stop listening. Why what they say after this all lacks importance, lacks eloquence, and lacks truth.

It's time to find IMPORTANCE in what we say and how we say it.

If you don't have anything nice to say, then just be silent. 

Or at least try to figure out a way to say it with thought or a kinder way to do it.

Life is too short...

Life is too short to surround yourself with negativity.

Surround yourself with positivity.

Surround yourself with COLOR 

and JOY 

and PEACE 

and HEART.

Surround yourself with people who love you,

who support you, 

who YOU support,

who know exactly what to say, 

when to say it, 

and do it with heartfelt gratitude and love.

Surround yourself with HOPE and not FEAR.

Surround yourself with folks who SHOW UP and love you.

But you have to remember to SHOW UP, too!!!

And always remember to nourish your soul with whatever does that for you. 

Take the time to fill your soul up with what brings you happiness.

It is so important, my friends.

There is so much negativity out there these days.

So much darkness and stupidity and negativity that we just shake our heads and keep thinking 

WHY?

There is so much fear out there...

SO much fighting.

So much hatred and vitriol.

So MUCH of things out of our control.

SO we have to take back our own power.

Take back those things we can...

We have to take control of the things we actually can control.

Ourselves.

Our actions towards others.

Reminding ourselves to be an electron for good.

Being a positive influence

 and being there for each other.

I get lost in thought sometimes...

This has for some reason been ME these last few days...

Just so much going on and yet...

she creeps into my thoughts...

Moments when I think about her...

Moments when I think about all the wonderful adventures we shared together and apart.

I have spoken so many times on this here blog about a life well lived, how important it is to live each day to the absolute fullest, and she was the prime example of that for me, for my family, for all of us...

But there are days when I still wonder the "what ifs"

There are days when I tear up at thinking about her...

I come across a photo...

A song plays that reminds me...

Those damn cancer commercials...

you know the ones...

And it literally takes my breath away

That lump in my throat makes its presence known...

And I just can't.

There are days I just want to curl up...but I know she would not want me to do that.

She would want me to celebrate her.

She would want me to carry on her legacy.

She would want me to bring it....every day.

Perseverance.

Drive.

And by being compassionate.

And then the gratitude flows over me.

And I can feel her love flow all over...

And I just have to pass it on.

The true meaning behind my blog title...

The true meaning behind my blog title is meant to be playful, random, and important. I wanted it to be a moment for all my fellow sojourners to stop, have an opportunity to regroup,  to offer an idea, a thought, something to contemplate and stories to enjoy. I also tended to have moments in my life where the story told was TOO good to believe. A "did that really just happen?" kind of moment...too good not to share...
I need a venue to do just that.

But also a reminder that we are all wandering souls on this adventure called life. A reminder that we all have struggles. We all have wonderful stories to tell. We all are on the same rat race and are not alone. Sometimes it is easy to wander and wander and wander and feelike you have no sense of direction... and still you are not alone... We have experiences to share, to teach, to bring to light and navigate through.

This has become that venue for me.
This is that creative outlet.
This is an opportunity for me to express myself and my thoughts and my struggles and my adventures.
And I am so grateful you are along for the journey.
Thank you!