Inspiration Is in the Air
Your inspiration will never expire, as long as you remember to breathe.
"Inspire" means both to inhale and to energize the spirit. It means both to breathe in and to breathe life into. If someone or something has inspired me, they have filled me with life — animated me toward something I find meaningful. And there's a reason "inspire" has this double meaning.
Inhale, Exhale. Expire, Inspire.
We need inspiration; it's as essential as oxygen. Without inspiration, we fail to be intentional. We receive and endure life rather than direct and enjoy it. Without inspiration, we miss meaning. But here's the good news: Inspiration and oxygen are equally abundant. If we wish for spiritual buoyancy, creative direction, or a spark of gratitude, we need only to breathe because inspiration is in the air.
Feeling a cool breeze, seeing strangers in conversation, sitting in silence with a friend — I have been inspired by these and many more simple moments. Inspiration doesn't have to be grand or dramatic. It can be subtle and fleeting, familiar and comforting. Inspiration is valuable yet abundant.
The breath can connect us with these simple moments. We can inspire ourselves by remembering that we are alive. With each conscious breath, we affirm the gift of life and feel animated, energized, awake — so that we may truly live before we die.
Although inspiration is abundant, it's not ours to hoard. We can't hold an in-breath forever. Let go of inspiration to keep breathing; after each inhale, exhale. But know that within each out-breath is your next dose of inspiration.
If you feel uninspired, remember to breathe.
Springboard:
Do you have one minute right now to take three conscious breaths? How would those breaths inspire you today? How will your today inspire tomorrow?