Smilin' Like a Buddah - Inspiration Thursday, Reprise

"And then you're seein’ in a light you didn’t know was glowin’

And you're drinkin' from a cup you didn’t know was flowin’

Every beat of your heart open, love is formin’

Oh, and there’s a feelin’ runnin’ through ya!

Oh, and then you're smilin’ like a Buddha!

Oh, and there’s a feelin’ comin’ to ya!

Oh, and you're smilin’ like a Buddha!"

I am fairly shocked that it was 2014 when I ceased my Inspiration Thursday posts.  My, my...how the days roll on!

I've been struggling in spirit--nothing tragic or dreadful, I'll certainly live--but I cannot seem to shake these bad vibes.  I do not feel like my sunny and upbeat self.  I feel like a hypercritical grouch, and, if I am totally honest, on some days like an ungrateful little fraud.  This is not who I am....  Hoping the New Year would be a fresh start was, as I suspected all along, overly optimistic.

This realization lead me to ruminate on more active ways to turn my attitude/outlook around--spending more time listening to music and writing and less time on Facebook, having small dinners with close friends and family, being more selective in the media I expose myself to, enjoying more quiet alone time, basking in candlelight during the evenings, etc.  Stuff like that.  Stuff which fills my bucket, rather than empties it.

I can't say if Inspiration Thursday really made a difference for anyone else, but I know that it was a beneficial practice for me.  It encouraged me to dedicate time for deep contemplation on the positive influences and inspirations that surround me--music, poetry, friends, family, art, books, and more--each and every week.  It caused me to be reflective, to ponder, and to consistently submerge myself in feeling inspired.  Inspired to do good.  Inspired to feel good.  Inspired to share good.

So, needless to say, Inspiration Thursdays will resume this year.  ❤