Friday, September 26, 2008

Inspiration & Perspiration

It is not big starry folk who inspire me - the big names, the successful multi-mills, the famous actors and writers, the gurus and the big-buck shamans.

But rather it is the ordinary, the sometimes-down-in-the-gutter but still seeing the stars types.

First of all the perspiration:

Patricia. In my village. She’s 83 but completes the Tely 10 (oldest road race in North America, they say) every year. That’s 10 miles of road, up hill and down dale.

I see her out and about doing some hill work here. Now she’s inspired me to do the same. I was getting lazy when out walking, I was avoiding the hills and could roll out a barrel of excuses at the drop of a hat. The last few days I’ve done some really good hill walking. Not quite buns of steel yet but one never knows.

The following few bloggers, amongst the many I read and enjoy, inspired me today, as they do every time I catch up with them:

Over at Sharon’s, I read about her struggle with her size, how she faces life’s challenges head on and doesn’t give up. She inspires me to keep on keeping on.

And Nick always tosses some great topics out there. Something to chew on. Some dearly held tenet perhaps tossed on its head, It inspires me to view life a little differently even if only for a few minutes.

And Hullabaloo is always quirky, even when dancing devils beset her and family challenges can make her scream. She keeps her sense of humour and her innate gentleness.

Old Fogey draws in charcoal and writes movingly of all things Jane Austen and music and books and family. When I visit him, I feel like I’ve taken a warm bath with an excellent book.

La Bete is not afraid to bring up any topic, any life challenge, any quirkiness of his own nature. He loves to examine every thing, does Bete, and go out there and risk. He inspires me to just do it.

To these five I offer an award:




And a great big thank you!

9 comments:

  1. "Women first started running The Telegram race in 1969 when 16-year old Jackie Kean entered the race as she did again in 1970. However, with the exception of a few female runners like Georgina Parsons, Gail Vincent and Colleen Martin, it wasn´t until 10 years later in 1979 that the number of female competitors increased significantly."


    2 years after I was born they recognized that women might be able to compete. Unbelievable.

    xo

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  2. Thank you WWW, what a loving accolade. I am touched that my blog inspires you and a little embarrassed that today's offering was about tinned spaghetti lol.

    Hulla

    xx

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  3. Ooh, another award! Thank you, I'm glad to be of service! Like you, I'm often inspired by ordinary people who do something special rather than the famous names who are frequently smooth-talking frauds. I think straightaway of Jane Tomlinson, the Leeds woman who raised nearly £2 million for charity after being diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. Amazing.

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  4. Lovely. Thank you for the honour. I particularly like being compared to a warm bath. I suppose that, despite the intro at the head of my blog about being a grumpy old man, I write more about what comforts me rather than what I resent. Age dilutes resentments, I guess. Perhaps it's the way with blogging too - it turns out different to what you thought it would when you started out.
    Best wishes
    OF

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  5. Thank you WebWiseWoman.

    I'm not sure yet whether to display it as recent history tells me the more I big my blog up and display awards etc, the more the trolls and fat haters like to have a go at me!

    But thanks very much for the mention!.

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  6. Hi WWW

    I went out for a jog yesterday and when I ran past a paddock of veal on legs I couldn't help taunting them as they were staring at me. 'I'm a meateater,' I shouted and promptly fell over in the gravel.

    xxx

    Pants

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  7. @ Orla:
    And the battle continues on, a teaspoon at a time!
    @H:
    And who writes best about tinned spaghetti?
    @Nick:
    And I think today of the Riverkeepers who started with one old woman and a garbage bag for the litter at the side of her town's river.
    @OF:
    How true, and we may be grumpy old geezers from time to time but always with compassion.
    @Sharon:
    Don't give a damn about those mean old trolls. Just keep on keeping on, don't be a slave to anyone!
    @Pants:
    Oh I hope you weren't hurt. That Kow Karma can be a punishing thing!

    XO
    WWW

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  8. It's a great thing to be an inspiration to you. It's a thing I aspire to. One day I will succeed and you will say, "That Irene, she is a woman of my own." In the meantime, I will be a true follower.

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  9. Oh Irene:
    You inspire me so much, my dear. ALL of you posts are superb.
    XO
    WWW

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