i'm always amazed at how resilient human beings can be. just over a year ago, we were dealing with massive water damage to our condo, i was 9 months pregnant and literally staying in random hotel rooms while contractors scrambled to put up the new drywall in our place before i got home from the delivering the baby. on the work front, budgets were nonexistent due to the economic implosion and i was uninspired, frustrated at my inability to actually accomplish much of anything.

whenever i'd tell friends about my plight, i'd get the same response.

"oh i'm so sorry. that sounds terrible. i can't imagine how you're even dealing with all that. if you ever need any help..."

their sympathy was heartfelt and sincere, but for the most part, they were personal struggles that couldn't really be solved by external intervention. there were tears, times when i just wanted to curl up into a ball in fetal position and start rocking...

but more often than not, i didn't. i just kept going, thinking about the new life i was about to bring into the world, beaming with pride at every accomplishment my amazing 6 year old achieved (and if you know him, there were many, daily), swallowing my pride and accepting the help of family (my generous-beyond-words brother, dad, step mom and friends), and just believing that "this too shall pass."

and now, only a year later, i find myself marveling at how lucky i am. a family that humbles and inspires me daily. amazing kids, a husband who is a rock of support, and friends who make me belly laugh and who i know have my back. business is booming at work and i have a renewed sense of energy and inspiration about the opportunities in life and work.

and the transition from lowest low to highest height happened in the course of a single year. maybe i started this blog because i reached the tipping point—where gratitude outweighed the feeling of being overwhelmed by life and the periodic "sh*t sandwiches" i'd been served.

in fact, i see it happening all the time. inspiring people that i know who, when faced with pain, a loss, a challenge, get back up on the horse with their head held high and ride it out. when they've lost someone special, they run, they walk, they form deeper relationships with those who remain, to honor their loved one. when they fall down, they discover an unexpected hand to help them up. when they hit an obstacle, they realize later that that blockade actually opened up a door to another path entirely. when they are silent and still, they find their voice.

all of you inspire me with your courage, strength, support and resilience.

"giddy up!"

2009 was a rough year. from january thru december, i felt inundated by bad news. at the macro level, i was disgusted by the modern day robber barons pillaging our economy. hearing about how virtually every industry—from banking to healthcare to our food system—was rife with corruption, mismanagement, corporate greed and public deception. on the personal front, diagnoses of cancer for family members and close friends, job losses, financial woes, construction problems with our home, and the loss of a twin that i carried for 27 weeks, were the flavors du jour. the morbid headlines and personal tragedies left me with an overwhelming feeling: futility.

what could i possibly do to make a difference? i certainly wasn't versed enough on the issues to tackle the big stuff (i'd leave that to my husband, a modern day crusader against the "pigs at the trough" of corporate america). with friends and family, i resolved to reconnect. reach out more, make phone calls long overdue, take a few minutes out of my daily grind to let them know i cared. i appreciated them. i was there if they needed anything.

but somehow it didn't seem like enough.

enter christine. my notoriously blunt cousin and the sister i always wished for. we grew up together and spent countless nights laying awake in the wee hours talking about our hopes and dreams. we visited them over the christmas holiday after a several year hiatus of not seeing each other. from the first word uttered, it was just like old times.

“you should start a blog,” she said.

“i know, i should. i just don't know what i'd write about.”

it's not that i'd never thought about it before. that was just the first time someone actually said it out loud...and it struck me. i ruminated. i could start a blog about branding or marketing, but it just felt forced (and god knows there are way too many of those already). how about women and empowering them to find their voice. that one felt a little truer, but too narrow and far too touchy feely.

every social media guru i've ever heard has said the key to starting a successful blog is finding "something you're passionate about." well i wouldn't say i'm passionate about facebook but i do spend a lot of time there...perhaps i could find a kernel of an idea there?

and then it hit me. amid all of the mindless rambling about the weather and my workload and the scrumptious meal i was about to sink my teeth into, i found the answer.

"inspired by..."

it's a photo album i created on facebook with some of my favorite images. photos i've taken of my family, my neighborhood, my city, and yes, of travels to far away lands too. some are landscapes, subjects of empirical beauty, but many are, in a word, simple. shadows from a bridge on wacker. light shining through the trees. clouds against a bright blue sky. my son's toes twinkling before their first dip into glen lake.

i decided to "take the plunge" and write this blog because these are the moments that sustain me. help me get through the nastiness in the world. there's a lot that is ugly, but far more, in everyday life is beautiful. inspired even. you just have to open your eyes to it.