Sometimes, You Find God Over a Cup of Tea

                                                                     

 

Yep, that is the title for this blog, and no, I didn’t become a religious fanatic overnight; although I am a very spiritual person. I don’t bide with Organized Religions  who try to bully their followers into blindly following, afraid to question some of the mandates handed down; even if these mandates are hateful and prejudiced.

                                                                  

But, the topic of Institutionalized religion is for another day and another blog. Today I want to talk about inspiration and creativity. After attending Sunday mass (yes, I go to church) I visited by granddaughter Katrina and her very insightful mother, Sue.  

                                                                         

                                                                

She made us a cup of tea and we chatted about my weekly blogs and my plans to self-publish one of my short stories about the zombie apocalypse. Sue is an amazing teacher, but she is also a talented artist. She’d asked me if I had ever watched https://www.youtube.com/user/TEDtalksDirector  I hadn’t, but I was sure curious. She pulled up an episode of Ted Talks on her computer, which featured the author of Eat Pray Love.

                                                                             

                                            Julia Roberts starred in the film based on the book.

                                                                      

Elizabeth Gilbert author of Eat Pray Love, muses over the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses, but I’ll let this video below explain.
 

 

After we had watched this video, I told Sue about my novel and the chapter where God is speaking with the heroine of the book after a particularly nasty battle with demons. He tells Emele that his love is like a song that is sent out racing through the cosmos.
                                                                         

Every blade of grass, every grain of sand, every living thing scattered throughout the universe hears this song. Unfortunately, there are times when sentient beings aren’t tuned in, but when we do great things and create a story, poem, song or painting, it is because we have heard and connected with this song of creativity and life. I look at this 'inspiration' as God tapping us on the shoulder and saying, "Here, try this."

                                                                   

                  

                                

As writers, I’m sure we’ve all had days when the universe is aligned in the right position and we can’t stop the story from taking its first breath on that blank page. But, there are times when nothing we do short of standing on our head for hours to increase the flow of blood, helps to get one word on the page. I didn’t know how to explain this condition, but thanks to Ted Talks and Elizabeth Gilbert; I get it!

                                                                            

So, the inspiration that I felt in church was also found in a quaint Victorian home in Audubon, New Jersey, and I was fortunate enough to spend a few hours with two muses; Katrina’s mom and Elizabeth Gilbert on Ted Talks.

What inspires you to write?