Wednesday is for Inspiring

In the blog world we love to give a day in the week a celebratory meaning. We have Half-Nekked Thursdays, Hump Day Wednesday, Moaning Mondays, Terrible Tuesdays, Thank God its Fridays and so on and so on.

Well I want to start a new weekly practice for Wednesdays. No, I don't want to slight Hump Day Wednesday because for sake of God who doesn't like Hump Day. What I am proposing will not effect Hump Day at all. It may broaden its meaning or make it more exciting.

I propose Inspiration Wednesday. A day we all focus on a specific person or group and try to inspire them. Inspire them to be the best for that day. Inspiring them to keep their heads up and be positive, productive, successful, strong and inspiriational to others.


There are many ways to inspire. There are billions of people to be inspired. As I mentioned in an earlier post that inspiration is a gift that keeps giving. Every time you inspire another their outlook on life improves, your outlook improves and anyone aware of the inspiration has a positive affect on their lives as well.

Some of the ways I like to inspire is to take the time to tell someone that I had observed them doing this or that and I wanted to let them know how impressed I was. A good example was a week or so ago Mrs. Pirate and I were at the dreaded teacher/parent conference at the high school. As we moved from one teacher to other for our two boys and we heard the samething from each. "Mr. & Mrs. Pirate we enjoy having your boy, Slick or Jock in our class and they are very good kids and they get along with everyone and they have leadership skills, they do wll in class but have a problem turning in their homework, blah, blah, blah".

We eventually got to a teacher who was young and he appeared to be exhausted from the day. He began to tell us the same thing about the boys. Believe me I love what they have to say about my boys but it has been the same thing since they were first graders. Nothing changes, there is never anything alarming that needs to be addressed.

So I took the opportunity to tell this young teacher that I thought what he had done the prior track season for a boy who is one of those that practically lives with us was one of the greatest things I have ever seen. This boy I speak of has always been a favorite around our home since he and Jock became best of friends when they were in elementry school. This boy who graduated last year has all the physical skills in the world to be anything he ever wanted to be. He just lacked focus. I've seen him participate in sports over the years and always seen a young man who was disheartened when he participated. With his own God-given abilities he always finished in the top tier of duscus throwers, but he had a hard time taking and deciphering instruction. Instruction that quit possibly could put him over the top and make him a champion. Eventually coaches would grow tired of his inability to grasp and then leave him to compete on his own.

This young teacher did something and I am not quit sure what it was but it changed this boy. I started noticing him parsing his technique. He began to work on every small aspect of his event. All through the year he gradually moved closer to the top of the league. He took pride to hone his skills. He participated as if he had been inspired.

At this particular conference I told the teacher I appreciated everything he had to say about my boys and that Mrs. Pirate and myself are very proud of them. I then asked him if I could be direct with him on another subject. He approved. I told him that I was so impressed with his skills as a teacher and really didn't care what the subject was. I told him how I had seen what he had done with the aforementioned boy and was so impresssed. I thought he was a winner and I was glad he was teaching at our school. He sat there dumbfounded. He thanked me and we left.

The next day this teacher stopped my boys in the hall and pulled them aside. He told them how he had been a little down on teaching and rethinking his career until last night. He told them that my words of inspiration to him have made him proud to be a teacher and that no one, not the administration, not his peers, no one has ever told him that before.

Then my boys came home panicked about what I might have said. I told them what I has said and they agreed. I told them i was going to start approaching the world with a kind word of inspiration and with as much strength that I can muster I will keep my negative side at home.

From now on I am going to make Wednesdays my inspiring day. I am going to tell everyone how impressed I am in how they do such and such. I am going to smile at strangers, I'm going to call make sure that I thank everyone with eye to eye contact. I am going to inspire.

Then just when they least suspect it I'm going to.......

Peace...