Inspiration

“To spur on, impel, or motivate. To fill with an animating, quickening, or exalting influence. To produce or arouse a feeling or thought. To cause something to happen or be created”.

When I think of the word inspire or inspiration, my mind immediately goes to Terry Fox. Selfless, courageous, a symbol of hope and perhaps most of all, an inspiration to an entire generation of Canadians. I still get choked up at times, when I happen across an article about what he did to support cancer research, perhaps even hastening his own demise. His Marathon of Hope continues to raise millions of dollars for cancer research all these years later.

Now that is inspirational!

On reflecting more deeply on the word “inspire”, I realize that those that have truly moved me, typically include what I perceive to be purveyors of selfless acts – putting others first, sometimes to the detriment of themselves.

Notable public figures would include Barack Obama, one of the most preeminent orators of our time. Others in the political spectrum are Nelson Mandela who gave up his own freedom to free others from political oppression and Martin Luther King, who literally gave up his life to bring awareness to the plight of his fellow black citizens.

Given our current political climate, perhaps it is a good time to look back to some their quotes for some hope and inspiration.

Martin Luther King:

• “The time is always right to do what is right.”
• “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.”
• “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
• “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
• “Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a constant attitude.”
• “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
• “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.”
• “No one really knows why they are alive until they know what they’d die for.”
• “We can say that our feet are tired, but our souls are rested.”
• “The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.”

Nelson Mandela:

• “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
• “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
• “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
• “One cannot be prepared for something while secretly believing it will not happen.”
• “When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.”
• “There can be no greater gift than that of giving one’s time and energy to help others without expecting anything in return.”
• “Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do.”

For completely different reasons, I am often inspired by people that have risen from humble beginnings to make a mark on the world, like Dolly Parton. She came from a large family with meagre resources , but yet never forgot her roots. She leaned on those early days, giving back through philanthropy to make the lives of others better, managing a number of projects to bring education and poverty relief to East Tennessee, where she was raised.

Closer to home, I am inspired my family each and every day.

My wife Karen, who shares her enthusiasm for life and sense of humour with me daily and gives from her heart to all around her, expecting nothing in return. Her biggest fault is that she thinks she is the funny one in the family, while clearly it is I. She does have her moments though, I must admit.

Our son Trevor who has always had a penchant for business and a drive to be perfect in all he does. Our son Geoff, who is the first one to offer assistance to anyone in need of a hand, and has a innate ability to build or fix most anything – most recently including launching a new company. Our daughter Lauren, who from the age of four, proclaimed she wanted to be a doctor, and has fulfilled her dream of helping others, through Naturopathic Medicine. Our son Ryan, who does things his own way – marches to his own drummer as it were – the strong silent type. He never asks for help, but simply figures things out on his own and is successful charting his own path.

Most importantly, all four are good human beings. Each of them are inspirational to me in their own way. I now look up to them, rather than them looking up to me. Life has come full circle.

Of course, looking back on my life, my mother was an inspiration through her battle with a brain tumour, broken back and loss of an eye. But through this adversity, she became a teacher, a librarian, an accomplished cook, mastered the art of playing the organ and so much more. She never gave up on herself, though her day to day life was a constant challenge.

Dad too, was a fighter. Always the entrepreneur, he constantly reinvented himself. Starting as a young man, he carved out a business in custom trucking; hauling gravel, grain and tobacco. All very physical tasks and involving relentlessly long days. Hard work was his calling card. Always looking for a better way to support his family, he bought and managed a tobacco farm. I learned the value of hard work from Dad. Those lessons have served me well over the years and looking back, inspired me to be the best I could be, at whatever I put my hand to.

In more general terms, inspiration comes to me from the most unexpected places at times.  Case in point, someone performing a random act of kindness, sacrificing their needs for others etc.

Perhaps this is why I am drawn to movies that are true stories. As I get older, I find emotions bubbling up inside me as I witness someone overcoming adversity, or doing the seemingly impossible – never losing hope and always leading others to a better place.

One of my favourite movies of all time is simply called “Rudy”. It is an account of the life of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, who harbored dreams of playing football at the University of Notre Dame despite significant obstacles. A truly inspiring movie.

Maybe there is a cosmic tie to my friend of the same name (Rudy Gheysen), that inspired me in life and continues to inspire me several years after his passing.

I love ya man!