Thursday, January 22, 2009

Booking Through Thursday--When Does Inspiration Strike?

Since “Inspiration” is (or should be) the theme this week … what is your reading inspired by?

When I first read this question, I came up a total blank. Reading has never been something I needed to be inspired to do. It's not a task. It's not something I write down on a to-do list. It's something that's a very basic part of me. If a geneticist went strolling through my DNA, I'm sure that person would find a big clump of genes with sewn (not glued) pages, a soft leather binding and 8-point Verdana.

But as I gave the question more thought, I came to understand that inspiration can come quietly, on little cat feet, in ways that one doesn't even remark upon when they happen. A very small girl sees the look of undeniable pleasure on her mother's face while she reads a book, and she wants to be able to experience that, too. A little girl sitting at a desk in school is bored with the slow progress of the class. Instead of whispering or doodling or passing notes, she learns to hide her library book inside her textbook. A gaudy-colored bird lands on a branch above a little girl's head. She wants to know what it is, so she heads to the library for a guide book.

Yes, I am that little girl. Every time I've seen something and asked, "Why?" or "How?" or "Where?", I've been inspired to find the answers within the pages of books. Each time I was snowed in during the winter, each time I was ridiculed because of my height, I was inspired to reach for the friends who never failed me: books. Each time a character in a book made me laugh or made me cry, each time the plot made my heart beat faster, each time I read the words aloud and heard how beautifully they fit together, I was inspired to reach for another book. And another. And yet another.

My entire life has been a series of little cat feet inspirations. From a desire to mimic my mother's pleasure of reading, to a desire to know why, to a desire for the beauty of words, I have been inspired. I can't imagine my life without these tiny, quiet, but oh-so-profound inspirations.


18 comments:

  1. Such a beautiful post, it made me smile! I loved the "little cat feet" analogy :)

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  2. Your answer read like that of a professional writer. And, I can totally connect with you. Happy BTT.

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  3. Beautiful! My answer is way more prosaic than yours. I loved reading yours!

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  4. Wonderful post! Absolutely perfect!

    Happy Thursday!

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  5. Beautifully said - with the analogy of "little cat feet" to talking about how you came to discovering books.

    It made me smile!!

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  6. I knew you'd have a great answer to this question!

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  7. Little cat feet, indeed. I think I am inspired by your post, too!

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  8. So wonderful meeting other people who are just absorbed in reading! My parents learned to live with the fact that I seldom heard them calling; I was in another world. So as you say, who needs inspiration to read? But when it comes to which book of a zillion to read next, now that is something else. I use the library a lot, plus reviews & recommendations from people who seem to share my tastes in books.

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  9. Beautifully written post!

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  10. Wow, you people--what a morale booster for a gloomy and rainy Thursday! I'll have to write my posts at 3 AM more often. Thank you!

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  11. What a great post, Cathy! It really is like little cat feet, isn't it? Creeping up and pouncing on us before we even realize it.

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  12. This post is so lovely and cute! Cats have that tacit association to books don't they?

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  13. I couldn't answer the question at first either. For me, the best inspiration in reading is a good story! Cheers! D:

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  14. I love your post! I feel the same way you do. :)

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  15. What a beautiful post! I was stumped by this answer at first too.

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