The Necessity of Inspiration

I received a phone call from a friend today, Heather Hutchins. She was feeling pretty good because she is probably going to get a job she likes. We meet weekly to write in a Starbucks for a few hours. Her online book can be found on Wattpad. She has been a writer all her life and it shows. I told her about an experience I had this morning returning something to Amazon. It was the first time I used a "locker" to return an item. I plugged the address into my phone map and headed south to Algonquin Road. It was a half-hour drive across town, ending at a BP gas station. I walked through the doors and got in line to ask for help. As I scanned my surroundings, I saw a wall of large orange lockers on one wall. The directions told me to scan my number, so I scanned the bar code. Nothing happened. I read the directions once again and saw that I could enter a number on the keypad. Six numbers later, a locker popped open. I placed the object in the locker and closed it, then headed out to finish errands. When I told Heather about it, she insisted it would make a good start for a story. I replied, "What if it popped open and something came out of it!" We were off, having a blast brainstorming. It was a great restart to a gray, blustery, winter day in the Midwest. I had been sick for three days and was feeling bored and isolated. Suddenly the universe opened up with a cornucopia of ideas. My mood was altered and I felt happy. I sometimes sink into a blue mood when left to myself. I love being alone, but this intervention kept me from going down the slippery slope of self-doubt and self-criticism. Heather is just one of many friends I have that keep me out of that dangerous neighborhood (my head). Do you have someone in your life that inspires the best in you? Find them and keep them. You won't be sorry.