There are many people who inspire me, from people I know directly and people I don’t. My parents inspire me everyday. My siblings shock me everyday with how much they inspire me. My friends, which I haven’t seen in awhile, inspire me. Ruth Bader Ginsburg inspires me (she’s badass), Lizzo inspires me, Lupita Nyong’o inspires me.

Quite a few people make me want to do better and be better everyday, so I’m going to take this in a little different direction.

I inspire me. I’ve done a lot of growing over the past several years. I’ve gone through depression, done some grieving, dealt with medical complications, but I’m still here. I’ve changed for the better and I have these people to thank.

Having people who inspire you is a fantastic thing. If it’s not your friends or family, then make it someone who’s made a difference in this world. These people will help you become the person you want to be. There’s no shame in growing and inspiring yourself.

Maybe even write it out too! That’s why I’m doing this. When I have a hard day, or week, or even month, where it seems impossible to see my accomplishments and progress, I have something to look at and remind me.

As always, I will end this with a picture of my dogs. Maybe they’ll inspire you.

Many people inspire me. Anyone form my parents to an athlete on tv. But one person who particularly inspires me is my Grandmother. Her name is Elaine Gardner. She graduated for the UMW in the the fifties while it was an all girls school with a major in chemistry. She is the smartest person in my family  even in her elder years now. the reason she inspires me is because she has never allowed anything or anyone to hold her back from anything. If there was an obstacle she worked harder and found a way around it. It never has occurred to her that she can’t do something, but rather that she just needs an alternate route. She recently finished a book she has been working on for the last twenty years. It is the story of my family and how we came to America. I am unbelievably proud of her and honored to call her my grandmother. So yeah inspires might be an understatement.

Everyone has someone who they admire or who inspires them. For this assignment, write about that person and why you admire them.

My second writing assignment this week was to write a letter to my mom! I did this on Instagram with a cute animated picture of a mom and a baby that represents my mom and I. I enjoyed this assignment because I feel like most people don’t tell their parents everyday how much they appreciate them. After posting this, I made sure to send it to my mom. She worked a lot of cases Friday and she was exhausted so I think it was pretty nice for her to hear. In a way, I’m glad this assignment was an assignment because it made me reflect on how appreciative I truly am. It was a nice little idea. I hope this inspires others to reach out to their family and give them a quick shoutout and let them know they are appreciated! See below for my assignment!

There are many people I find inspiring either by what they say, what they do, or both. Let’s talk about what some have done.

George Washington and Cincinnatus- Almost two thousand years separate these two men but are united commonly by humility and by an incredible strength; the strength to voluntarily give up power.

In the Roman Republic there was a usually vacant position whose rare user was known as dictator. Dictator were appointed in times of crisis and had almost unlimited power. Everyone who was appointed to its position overstayed their welcome and abused its power to the point of Civil War, save for one. Cincinnatus was on his farm just outside of the city when his fellow senators came to him with a crisis. The consuls, the joint rulers of the Republic, were encircled and outnumbered by Rome’s enemies and the senate has offered him the role of dictator to end this crisis. In 16 days, he rallied the army, stopped the enemy, saved the consuls, resigned from the job and went right back to his farm.

Some doubt the truth of that tale, but they cannot doubt the tale of the Cincinnatus of the west: George Washington. On multiple occasions, Washington was tempted with power. During the Revolution, Congress gave him complete control of the military and he didn’t use that power to overthrow them. At wars end, he resigned that power and between that day and the Constitutional Convention he denounced several attempts to overthrow an incompetent Congress and install him as a monarch. As our first president he set many standards of humility in the office including regarding him as Mr. President and only being in office for two terms.

Who Inspires You – Batdad Edition:

*This week we were asked to connect our class theme (superheroes) to one of the writing assignments we complete. When I saw this assignment, I thought it would be the absolute best one to make that connection.

Dear Batdad,

They always say a girl’s first love is her dad and I couldn’t agree more. You’re the first one who made me laugh so hard I cried, the one who chased me around the yard until I couldn’t run anymore, the one who wiped away my tears after I fell off my bike (even though you promised you wouldn’t let go).

You made my childhood great, but you also made my adolescent years easier to get through. I remember coming home from school early one day – I was crying because some boy had broken my heart and you weren’t even mad that I had left school. You sat me down, told me that everything was going to be fine and that this was just a part of growing up – then you sent me back to school to finish my work for the day. It was in that moment when I realized how much of an inspiration you were, and continue, to be to me.

You inspire me with your positive outlook towards life. Life hasn’t always been that great to you, but you always manage to somehow find the silver lining in every situation. You inspire me with your compassion. I remember when you got into that awful car accident when I was younger and you called me from your hospital bed to make sure I was alright. You were the one in the hospital and you called me to make sure I was alright. You inspire me with your resilience. No matter how many times you get knocked down – you always pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and continue to venture on. You inspire me with your passion. You put your heart and soul into all of your endeavors in life.

Lastly, you inspire me to be the best version of myself. I look up to you. In my daily life I try to be just like you – compassionate, resilient, passionate, and optimistic. I have never been more proud to know such an amazing individual. You have taught me so many life lessons and I have so much to thank you for, but I will simply end this by thanking you for inspiring me in life. Thank you for making me want to be a better person everyday.

Love,

Lovebug