My Bra (My Support)

A friend has offered an assignment to me. He asks: "What inspires you, supports you, helps you to advance?"

A number of things come to mind. My family provides a great support system for me, and has seen me through some tough times, as I've chronicled recently. Not so much the support they provided, but the tough times. They've been there for me during my bouts with depression and my struggles with medication and psychosis. And they're inspiring, too-- my mom and my sister are two of my fans, and they comment on my blog regularly (or as regularly as I write, anyway...)

I'm inspired by their passion for life. My sister and my mom recently went to the Stampin' Up convention in Salt Lake City, Utah. They came back pumped up to be creative, and have even tempted me to join them. So next week I'll be going to visit and scrapbook.

Creativity is an inspiration to me as well. It helps me to advance. I like to find new and different ways of thinking about things. This comes through in my writing. Usually. Most of the time.

Humor is another thing that has sustained me, and helped me to advance. My dad has taught me a lot about taking life less seriously and being able to laugh at oneself. Never underestimate the power of laughter.

So I'm blogging to you today "on location" at Panera Bread in Sunnyvale, CA. I'm here for the Meetup "Shut Up and Blog" that meets almost every Wednesday. This is my second time here, and I've yet to talk to anyone. First time I was a couple hours late (overslept) and then was too shy to walk up and introduce myself. Today I went for the setup-- location, location, location-- and am in the corner with a wall outlet so the laptop battery doesn't prematurely end my productivity. Not sure if there are any other bloggers here today, but then I haven't poked around at all-- I've been writing to you! On assignment, too. So back to the bra and then some.

I'm inspired by music and humor and creativity. Art. Volunteerism. Philanthropy. Dreams. And politicians. All of them.

Again, humor.

Actually, some of the politicians inspire me some of the time. It does happen. I'm inspired by Al Franken. Not when he's doing his bits that I've heard a hundred times. But when he draws the map of the United States from memory, I'm always impressed.

So I'm sustained and inspired by family and friends. I am inspired by Jennifer Mattern, a great writer and fellow bipolar individual. Jenn's blog Breed 'em and Weep is a wealth of entertainment and wisdom and highly recommended. It's also got a whole lot bigger following than I do at the present moment. That's something to aspire to, something to help me advance...

I was inspired by the movie "I Am" and look forward to seeing it again, when it comes out on DVD. I'm inspired by cooperation. I like the fact that it's coded into our DNA and is a force of nature.

I'm inspired by nature. I'm in awe of it all. I love watching the sunset and the moon rise. The waves of the ocean at the beach. Trees and flowers and grass. Fire. Soil. Water. Love.

I'm inspired by others who create. The folks at the Van Gough Complex. Artists everywhere. Musicians. Parents. Teachers.

The project to make a movie out of the book "The Fifth Sacred Thing" inspires me. Check it out at Kickstarter.

And I'm inspired by the concept of infinity. It makes it all possible.

I kinda like that.

I was inspired by the speakers at the American Cancer Society Volunteer Appreciation Dinner the other night. Inspired to learn that we are making progress and learning new ways to treat and combat this nasty disease. That there are mechanisms already present in our bodies to deal with the abnormal cancer cells, and we're learning how to turn them on and direct them more efficiently so they beat cancer. There was a room full of inspiring people, all looking to work toward the same goal of curing cancer and saving lives. I was inspired by Patricia Brown and others who talked about the California Cancer Research Act, which, if passed, would inject over half a billion dollars into cancer research, effectively tripling the research budget.

Now that's inspiring. And only a dollar tax per pack of cigarettes will do it. Pass it now.

I know how I'm voting next June.

Another thing that promotes me is my marriage. My wife is affectionate, inspiring, nurturing, humorous, and uplifting. She deserves much credit in my recovery and stability (as do I, I should say...) and has been a tireless supporter of me throughout my illness. Marrying her has been my greatest investment. Love you, Suz.

I'm sure there's more, but I'm inspired by nature to use the restroom right now. So I'll end it here. Thanks for your time; I hope you find me inspiring, too.