What inspires you?

Ok So I have been kind of in a rut lately and I’ve been pondering what should we talk about with my sweet hearts. So I solicited the help of some of my family and friends. I asked them one simple question “What inspires you?” The answers I received were awesome; some very simplistic and others rather hilarious. I wish to share with you their answers but I want to spread it out into more than one post. I cannot promise how many posts will be produced from this simple survey but I do hope these answers and my opinions will help you with your own truths. So here we go…

When asked “What inspires you?” some answer “plenty of things,” others have one specific answer and then there are those that never really pinpoint what inspires them to do whatever it is they do. During my mini survey of people I know my number one answer was family and children. It’s interesting when asked “what” people respond with “whom”. There is no right or wrong answer, it comes from within. Several of my friends are single mothers in fact my current beau is a single father. I watch these people struggle every single day to make ends meat and provide a safe environment for their children.

In case you haven’t realized, parenthood is the hardest job but the most fulfilling job one can ever have. Yes there are some people in this world that take the job of parenting for granted and do as little as possible to take care of their kids. But there are those wonderful people that work two and three jobs to provide for their children. There is a mother in our society that has a one bedroom apartment where she and her kids sleep in the same bed and tomorrow morning she won’t eat so that the kids have enough. And there is a man that works his fingers to the bone to make sure the lights and water in his home are still running so his wife and children can live comfortably. Why you may ask, does someone put themselves through so much pain and suffering, willingly, for someone else? Well I’m no mother but I can tell you the answer is clear as day, as a parent one will risk their lives to ensure the safety of their children. I cannot say that I fully understand the concept but because I am not a parent however I did see firsthand how my parents were with me.

Some people actually get to live the American dream of getting married to someone they love and having children when they are financially stable. But most people in this world don’t get that privilege, not everyone planned to be parents and surely not everyone was prepared to take on the task. But they live and they learn to make it work. They work harder than ever for pennies a week, they live in slums and sometimes lose sleep and don’t get enough to eat but they keep on. They keep on because of their inspirations, their children. I salute the person that says their children are what keep them going. That shows you that even though these children did not ask to be here their lives will not go to waste. It shows that the single parent wants more for their child then they had for themselves.

It’s one thing to show a child how to play a game but it’s something different to teach a child how to play and win at this game called life. These children will grow up to be adults and one would hope that they will take their parents’ drive and ambition and turn it into their own positivity. I am proud to have these strong willed people in my life and they inspire me to inspire you to pass on this positive energy and inspire someone else. It takes one idea to start the process to change the world but in order to realize that change maybe you should start with one simple question: “What inspires you?”