Inspiration everywhere these days ~ My column from Sunday's paper

The inspiration for my columns comes from different places. Sometimes it comes while flipping through grainy photographs from my distant past or listening to the lyrics of songs that have touched the heart at some point in my life.

The idea for this column came as I read in Paul Zollo’s book, “Songwriters on Songwriting.” The author interviewed Jackson Browne about his song “These Days.” From the first time that record spun on my turntable, it was an instant classic. I’m sure I’ve listened to it over a thousand times.

It’s about the angst we all feel at some point in our lives about growing up and growing older. Browne wrote the song when he was 16 years old and I can’t imagine how a mind that young could have written something so profound. It sounds as if someone much older should have written it. He said it just came to him.

But who knows where insightful inspiration comes from? Are they radio waves sent out from a higher power through the Universe? And only individuals mentally tuned to a special celestial frequency can receive the signal?

Perhaps that’s true. I know if someone invented antennae that you could wear on your head to improve reception, it would be worth a fortune. I would wear it each time I sat down to write.

That’s probably a fanciful thought, but what if it were true? What if all the inspiration and answers you need in your life are out there in the ether, waiting for you to tune in your psychic radio to the correct frequency and listen?

Some folks believe all the answers are written in the Good Book, and for many it is the source of their inspiration. But others seek answers in different places.

Some look to drugs or the bottle for inspiration, but few find it there.

So, what is inspiration? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition is “something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create: a force or influence that inspires someone.”

The book tells us what it is, but there are no clues on where it comes from. It remains a mystery, but I think inspiration lies with life as it unfolds before us.

The older I get, I seem to find inspiration in unpredictable places. It seems I’m most receptive when I look at life through the eyes of my inner child.

I’ve been accused of behaving like a child. I think it was meant as an insult, but on the eve of my sixty-forth birthday, I consider that jibe a compliment.

This much I know — inspiration is a vital component of our lives. It’s what drives creativity, which keeps us learning, growing and reinventing ourselves. It is what keeps us young.

I’ve seen people in their nineties who seem younger and more vital than people a third of their age. It’s because they read, write, dance and like hummingbirds, they thrive on the nectar of life.

What inspires you?