Posted by Mike O on: 01.11.2007 /
I just got done watching the season finale of “The Biggest Loser,” where Eric, who weighed over 400 lbs at the beginning of the season dropped into the 190s to claim the grand prize of $250,000. As someone who always has, and likely always will struggle with my weight, it was encouraging to see that it can be done, and winners from previous seasons have “largely” (pun intended!) kept the weight off. As of today, I’m down almost 70lbs. Not because of that show at all, but I just happened to stick to a plan this time. I’ve tried and succeeded before (this is my third time) and each time I have failed to keep it off. Will this time be different? I think so, but a mere clenching of the teeth didn’t hold last time. Eric inspires me.
The winter night sky inspires me. The other night I was standing outside in the cold, Minnesota air looking up at the stars. We had just gotten new snow, I could see my breath. I could see Orion. We live in the country, so it was pitch black except for the stars and the light coming from my family room. The crunch of snow under my feet and the sight of smoke coming from my wood stove, standing there in the dark and the complete silence … it just inspired me. Maybe “inspired” is the wrong word … it somehow centered me. In that moment, all was right with the world.
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Comment by: Siamang
1 01/11/07 12:14 PM | Comment Link |A couple months ago I had the opportunity to hear a wonderful speech by Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway, the insulin pump, the improved heart stent and other important medical advances.
His current projects are to provide clean power, clean water and a bottom-up approach to bringing small villages out of poverty. He was just awarded the Global Humanitarian Action Award by the United Nations.
He talked about a project he’s working on with his engineers at DEKA for DARPA at the Pentagon. It’s a project to design the worlds’ best artificial arm, and it’s specifically for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The goal of this project, and they may actually be able to do this, is to interface the arm to the human nervous system.
I listened to this while sitting across from a soldier fresh from Iraq, who was injured and now uses a Segway for mobility. In fact, most of the people at that table were friends of mine who use their Segways to make up for mobility lost to illness or injury.
What inspires me? Big, bold, world-changing ideas.
Two days ago, Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone. But in a much deeper sense he unveiled the computer user-interface of the next 20 years: multi-touch.
I’m not sure if people really got it about multi-touch. Within 5 years they will.
Comment by: Stephan
2 01/11/07 12:43 PM | Comment Link |My kids inspire me. When I see them struggle and succeed I am inspired that the struggle is worth it. When I see my flaws in their personalities I am inspired to improve myself. When I see how they are growing and developing into such wonderful little people I am inspired that there is a loving God that looks at me the same way.
Comment by: Ir (Helen)
3 01/11/07 2:32 PM | Comment Link |Wow, Mike, congratulations on losing 70 lbs! That’s great.
Someone else asked me who my heroes and heroines are, which to me is the same question.
I’m inspired by anyone who
1)not only says they care about others but proves it by giving away time and/or attention and/or money to them.
2)has survived very difficult circumstances
These people inspire me because if they can do it, maybe I can too.
Comment by: Karen
4 01/11/07 5:54 PM | Comment Link |Mike, that’s incredible - congratulations from me, too. Now ya’ just gotta keep it off, right? ;-) You can do it, man!
I’m very inspired by nature and I love getting outside of the city into rural areas on horseback, by hiking or driving. We were fortunate enough to spend last week on the Big Island of Hawaii, and I watched a sunset from the southernmost tip of the U.S.
From that vantage at South Point, my view for about 300 degrees around was nothing but Pacific Ocean with the orange ball of the sun slowly sinking into it. Talk about awesome!
For just a fleeting second or two, I could kind of capture the sense of my place - a teeny, tiny speck on this great big blue ball revolving in the vastness of space. It was scary, vulnerable, exciting and inspiring all at once. SO cool. :-)
Comment by: Ir (Helen)
5 01/11/07 6:01 PM | Comment Link |Adding to my earlier comment - I’m inspired by being outdoors in beautiful scenery, or just on a beautiful day noticing the details in my own neighborhood, like all the tree branch patterns you can only see this time of year.
Comment by: NCxian
6 01/12/07 6:53 AM | Comment Link |I am like Siamang, I think. I am inspired by people who develop a passion for helping in some way, or creating something useful or beautiful, and then act on that passion in a big, effective way.
For example, the people who started and run the children’s home in the Philippines where my son lived for the first year of his life. It’s called the Childrens’ Shelter of Cebu. I couldn’t find the whole story on the website, but as I recall from hearing it when I went there: a young woman from Minnesota (Marlys) was in college and her mother died. Her parents had tickets already for a trip to the Philippines, so she went with her father. When she got there, she was struck by the dire situation of the street children. Shortly thereafter, she and her husband (Paul) and two other folks (Sandy and another person who is no longer there) in their early twenties moved to the Philippines, set up house and started taking in these children. This was in 1979. Since then, something like a thousand children have lived in the homes, they have started a high quality school for children of all ages and abilities and so on. They have 70 or 80 kids in their homes at any given time. They have basketball teams and bands and bicycles and skateboards and Christmas parties with Santa; their handicapped children have special wheelchairs and communications devices . . . many of the things you would want your own child to have. After having spent 10 days there, and following their progress since 1996, I can say that they truly behave as if these children were their own.
Now, when I was 20 years old, the only person at the top of my list of concerns was ME. I am awestruck by these people. What they have done is the kind of thing that inspires me!
Comment by: NCxian
7 01/12/07 7:44 AM | Comment Link |As a follow-up, I had to share this picture and story from the Childrens’ Shelter of Cebu website. I haven’t visited the website since they have gotten staff blogs and other fancier things and I just came across this entry as a I was browsing. I don’t know if “inspired” is exactly what I’ve felt, but I’ve been sniffling for 15 minutes since I saw this!
Apparently the little girl was surrendered for adoption and was adopted by a family in Australia. Shortly after she left, the birth parents surrendered her older brother. This is a picture of the two children being reunited when the adoptive parents got permission to have the brother as well. I think the man in the picture must be the dad. I imagine the toy the boy is holding might be a welcome gift from the little girl (which is encouraged when adopting a child into a family with children already. My son selected a pig with wings for my daughter!). I would guess that, given the length of time it takes for an adoption to happen, the children have been apart for a year or so.
Comment by: Ir (Helen)
8 01/13/07 4:48 PM | Comment Link |Thanks NCxian. I’m so glad the adoptive parents were able to take both siblings.
Comment by: Justin
9 01/15/07 8:36 PM | Comment Link |Testing edit comments feature…done! JB