Friday, April 1, 2011

Ten things that inspire me

This topic was inspired by Lisa of 110 Pounds and Counting. (Hope the link works, it's my first try.)

1. Beautiful gardens. I will (sadly) admit that my own gardening efforts have been largely overwhelmed by my running. But I love to visit the amazing gardens created by others. They make me want to create my own gardens, but also I feel happy just soaking in the ambience and enjoying the beauty around me.

2. Books. I love to read, and possess shelves of books I've read and stacks of books I haven't read yet. Even so, I shoot off an Amazon order every few weeks. Even though I am a traditionalist in some ways, I am all for ways to make reading more efficient and comfortable. I have already downloaded a few books on my iPhone for travel, and when the iPad arrives, I will embrace ereading with enthusiasm. I know there were still be many hard copy books in my life, though!

3. Books, magazines, and blogs about running, healthy living, and weight loss. A sub-category to the above, I guess. I devour these types of books voraciously. They entertain as well as inspire me.

4. Non-celebrity memoirs. Another sub-category. Okay, I like some celebrity memoirs too. But what I am thinking of is the type of memoir where the author is just an ordinary person with a knack for making some aspect of her life or history seem entertaining or enlightening. Sometime I will do a post about some of my favorites.

5. Amazing vegetables. Yes, I love all kinds of food. But vegetables really rock my world! Squash, sweet potatoes, eggplant, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach and other greens, bell peppers, tomatoes, beans, asparagus, mushrooms, onions, beets. Even more so if they are roasted at a high temperature (except for the greens).

6. The seaside. I think that is a broad enough term to encompass all the various saltwater bodies and destinations that I love. Perhaps it comes from my Norwegian fishermen ancestors, or simply because I grew up on the shores of Puget Sound, and almost every vacation my family took involved some other type of waterfront location. Some of my favorite locations.... The San Juan Islands. If you ever have a chance, I urge you to take the ferry from Anacortes to Sidney BC (you can drive to Victoria from there). The views are amazing, and you'll probably see whales too. The Oregon Coast (actually I like it more than the Washington coast). Coastal Maine and New England. Cornwall in England. The fjords of Norway. Copenhagen Harbor. I love them all...I think saltwater runs in my veins.

7. Beautiful clothes. Perhaps it is shallow, but I get a thrill of excitement when I walk into Renee's or flip through a Talbots catalogue. I do believe that fantastic, flattering clothes--or a great pair of jeans--can be inspiring and energizing. I can't say it's necessarily cheaper than therapy, but it is a boost to the self esteem!

8. A great run. All runs are good, in some way, but a great run, where your legs feel light but strong, and you want to keep running even when you're done, is a powerful inspiration. After this kind of run, I feel the glow for hours to come. (This sometimes leads to signing up for future races, in a kind endorphin induced intoxication.)

9. Color. This may be rather clothing related as well, but I love bright, intense, beautiful colors. I love to drape myself in color saturated scarves, repaint white walls, and look for colorful accessories. (I ordered a bright green cover for my iPad to come!)

10. Happy FTDMs. This is a work-related one..,yes, I can be inspired by my work. Part of my job involves representing parents whose children have been taken away due to drug use. An FTDM is a meeting that is held when a child's placement is changed. A good FTDM is when the child is being returned home. Those are great days.

What inspires you?

1 comment:

Marie said...

Great post, Kristin! As one of your nonrunning friends, I especially enjoyed this one.