Inspiration

Have you met anyone recently who has inspired you?

I met a remarkable, and lovely lady on Monday afternoon.

I had noticed an elderly Indian lady sitting in a comfy chair at the side of the hall throughout my exercise class, not saying anything, just taking it all in and smiling occasionally.

She looked like everyone's favourite Granny. Snow white hair pulled back in a bun, a bit on the 'cuddly' side, bespeckled, and wearing her pretty Sari.
I didn't really take much more notice than that.

A few minutes before the class ended, she suddenly got up and went into the middle of the room and began exercising quite vigorously.
I don't think she could speak English, so she just smiled at us all and started doing the most amazing moves. Her flexibility was a joy to behold. She easily reached down past her toes, to the floor, and was bending and stretching like someone considerably younger.

Our instructor knew her and was beaming at her, you could see she was really enjoying herself.
After about 10 minutes of this, she stopped, and it was then that our Insutrutor told us this amazing lady was 91 years old.
She said it was exercising every single day that had kept her going.

What a wonderful example she was, I wish you could have seen her. She looked so content and happy too. Bless her heart. I just had to give her a hug as I left.

I found her a terrific inspiration, and I won't forget her.

Has anyone inspired you lately?

Re: Inspiration

WOW, what a beautiful post Mups. I really enjoyed hearing about that amazing lady.

If I met someone in their 90's who was just walking straight and without the aid of a walker, I would be inspired.....and you met Mrs Inspiration herself.

Thanks for sharing that with us Mugs.....

I have met people over the years who inspired me. I just have to think about it during the next day or two and then I will come back and post.

Re: Inspiration

What a coincidence.....I was about to post asking if Grandparents had any influence in what you became.....

So, my inspiration was my gran.

A feisty woman who would fight for everything she did......but still remained a gran you could rely on or go to with any problem..

She would laugh and joke with the best of them and she certainly influenced my dad and his humour and mine.


She was head of the family and did things for the family.
She moved house 3 times and each time my grandad didn't know until the day they moved....and then itwas a note in his sandwich box giving him the new address.

He didn't know about the farm she bought until the day arrived and that cost an absolute fortune in 63.


She is my inspiration.

Re: Inspiration

This is going to sound very sycophantic but.....I am inspired by so many posters on here who have had the stuffing knocked out of them either health wise or upbringing wise or otherwise, and they get back up and carry on.

No moaning, no whingeing, they just get on with it.

Re: Inspiration

My nan was biggest inspiration in my life, didn't have the best upbringing her mum died when she was 7 and by 9 she had left school for good to look after the other 8 kids and her dad. She went into service at 14 and said it was like a holiday compared to home.

She never turned a child away, I think at last count she fostered or adopted 23 children, plus had her own two and us three grandchildren that she raised.

Wonderful woman full of love and generosity of spirit.

Re: Inspiration

I'm not sure about anyone inspiring me recently but I have to say that the programme with Miriam Margoyles in America, challenged my views. I'm sure she is the only person to have done that in a long, long time.

Re: Inspiration

I can't think of anyone who has inspired me.

Re: Inspiration

I've had a few people in my life who have inspired me for different reasons, but one in particular, who I have known for just a few years. This lady is 79, her husband, a retired doctor, is 84, their oldest son, Robin was 57 last week.

When Robin was born they were told he wouldn't live more than a few days.
Robin is blind, can't speak, other than noises and has the mentality of a two year old, he also has mobility problems and can only walk short distances with assistance.

Last year Margaret had major heart surgery, the younger son came over to help out for a couple of weeks, but Margaret was up and running again so quickly it was hard to believe.

Over the years Margaret and Michael have taken Robin all over the world. They still take him on holidays, but these days they have a specially built camper van and they still travel long distances. Just after Christmas they took Robin to visit friends in Germany.

Their lives are always busy with doctor and hospital appointments, they all have various medical problems. Robin in particular, he had a stroke two years ago, but made a recovery. Margaret stayed at the hospital with him day and night.

Robin lets them know what he wants mainly with hand signals and noises. Michael always does the toileting when out somewhere.

They are quite wealthy, which of course is a help with many things. They have someone they pay to take Robin out for a walk in his wheelchair and a meal at his favourite Chinese restaurant, but they don't receive any other help, they prefer to take care of Robin themselves.

I truly don't know how Margaret does all this, she never has five minutes to herself, yet she doesn't look anything like her age, she appears to have endless energy and patience, she truly makes me feel ashamed of myself at times.

Every week they bring Robin to the music quiz, he loves it, and the attention and fuss he gets from the regulars.

So yes, I am definitely inspired by Margaret in particular, I fail to see how anyone couldn't be, she is a truly amazing lady.

Re: Inspiration

A number of people have inspired me.
One was an Irish cookery teacher called Mrs True who back in the 60's before anyone had heard of 'celebrity chefs' instilled in us the importance of 'seasonality' in food eg when spring lamb is ready so are peas, new potatoes, mint and so on.

She talked about what she called' garden goodness' and using the freshest ingredients and the essential use of herbs for flavor.

Mrs True lit the flame in me that was to become a love of food and cooking

Re: Inspiration

Great thread, Mups. Isn't it interesting that the lessons best learned are the ones never taught. I have been fortunate to have several people inspire me through life.

Here is one:

She was born the size of a man’s fit and they broke her leg in delivery. Send her home without neonatal car they said,

She won’t make it;

She spent months of neglect with a birth mother who could not take care of her. They took her sick and starving to the orphanage, in the notes it read,

She won’t make it;

At the orphanage underfed her and unloved to toughen her up. She’s second hand goods only good as a servant, they said. Why would you want her?

She’ll never make it;

When she came home, she bloomed like a rose in the sun, but she doesn’t play with others enough her teacher said,

She’ll never make it;

Trying out at fourteen she was feisty but very petite. when trying out for soccer and track, the girls laughed and told her,

You’ll never make it;

The honors algebra teacher called one day, this math course is to hard for her he said,

She’ll never make it;

A week into high school the bottom fell out, her brain on fire, her joints swollen, take her to North Carolina, there’s not much we can do;

We don’t think she’ll make it;


Years of tests, lumbar punctures, chemotherapy, the vomiting through countless nights. Her arms outstretched while the dug into her arms and neck looking for veins too overused from dozens of infusions and blood draws, the exhausted nurses would shake their heads…

We don’t think she can make it;

The spastic movements, the raging headaches, feeding tubes, her body is too weak after so many years, her brain will never be the same. This disease is to rare impossible to treat….

We don’t think…

But one last drug, they said. It could be rough. I grabbed her wrists and looking into her eyes, I said, a hundred times before they said you couldn’t do it and you did,

You can make it, I said.

And like every other time before,

She did.


Resilient, determined, driven, intelligent, stoic, gentle, compassionate, and shining like the sun, my daughter is sitting across from me studying for her first round of college courses, humming, and petting one of the dogs.

I don’t have to look very far for inspiration.