Be Inspired

This post by Gayle M. Irwin

“Every day is a fresh beginning. Every morn is the world made new.” – Susan Coolidge

That quote is on the January 2017 portion of my new calendar, a lovely creation by Blue Mountain Arts given as a gift by one of my friends. The calendar is titled “Follow My Lead – How dogs teach us to live a life of kindness, faithfulness, and unconditional love.” For the month of January, the heading says “Be Amazed.” Future months encourage taking time to be curious, to be in nature, and to relax – each one a bit of wisdom and an inspiration. My friend knows me well – nature and dogs inspire me. This calendar is now part of my home office, and each time I look at it, I will be inspired – by the headings, the various quotes, and the beautiful artistic drawings.

As I mentioned, dogs inspire me. Whether my own pets, the dogs of others, or the rescued ones I’ve assisted, they have been, and are, a focus of my writing. I enjoy cats, too, and recently I’ve created some cat stories, ones that have run in my local weekly paper as a reading for children. However, dogs seem to be more my forte’ so I continue my quest to create inspirational short stories and books with canines as the main character.

Her name was Jazmine. She was on a journey, and I was part of that adventure. When she arrived at my car in Casper, Jazmine had already traveled more than four hours from her foster home in southern Wyoming. I was taking her another two-plus hours north, and someone else was taking her an additional two hours into Montana. Her final destination? Calgary, Canada, where her adoptive family awaited her. That would take another full driving day.

         

As I gazed at the elegant, yet scarred face of this rescue dog, a gentle giant who had been abandoned in the wilds of Wyoming’s Red Desert by someone she once trusted, I marveled at the tenacity, not only of Jazmine, but of most rescue dogs. Going from one family to another, having to adjust not only to new humans, but to a different home, oftentimes with new rules and expectations, at times to once again be left behind at an animal shelter filled with strange voices, other sounds, and smells: all that takes courage and perseverance. Then waiting, whether in cages or in foster homes, for yet another family and try again to settle in and be accepted – that, too, takes bravery and tenacity. And, here was Jazmine, me the third person in a day she’d accompanied: her foster parent, transporter #1; me transporter #2, and her journey had barely begun. She had thousands of miles yet to travel, and would encounter yet another five transporters at least before finally meeting the family who had adopted her. How would she fare once she arrived ‘home?’ How would she be treated? And how confusing all this must, and would, be for a dog who sought only to give devotion and love.

Jazmine and her adoptive family in Canada.

So starts a short story I’m working on for an anthology about dogs; deadline is later this month, and I’m hopeful for its acceptance. But, Jazmine didn’t just inspire a 1,000-word story; she’s inspired a children’s book that I’m also currently working on. The story is told from her perspective, much like the award-winning children’s book A Dog’s Life: The Autobiography of a Stray by Ann M. Martin. I read a segment of my manuscript during a writer’s open mic night in my community; many people came up to me afterwards with encouraging sentiments. One woman even had tears in her eyes and told me about the rescue organization in another state that her daughter operates. My goal with this book is to teach as well as to inspire: to teach children about the plights of homeless animals and about the people who rescue and help them, and to inspire those children and their parents to help pet rescue organizations through volunteering, donating, and educating their friends. Jazmine’s story, her life, is one of courage, perseverance, love, and second chances (see above photo). Her life is an inspiration, and I look forward to sharing her story – whether as an article, a book, or both – this year.

A new year has dawned. May you find many wonderful treasures to inspire you in 2017, whether it’s pets, nature, your family, even strangers. Inspiration is all around us – we only have to be aware through our senses and our intuition and to open our hearts to the wonderful discoveries. 

Gayle M. Irwin is the author of several inspirational pet books for children and adults. She is also a contributing writer for six Chicken Soup for the Soul books, and she has a story in Sundown Press' summer 2016 release Memories from Maple Street USA: Pawprints on My Heart. She helps several Rocky Mountain region pet rescue organization with events, by transporting rescued pets, and through donating a percentage of her book sales to these groups. Gayle enjoys sharing about the pet-human bond and believes people can learn a lot from animals. Learn more about Gayle and her work at www.gaylemirwin.com.

Finding Creativity Through Tranquility

Serenity echoes deep in a central Wyoming lodgepole pine forest with the sights, sounds, and smells of nature. Chickadees chirp from tree branches, mule deer munch late summer grass, and orange-spotted butterflies wing through waves of yellow daisies. Within the stillness of the woodland, a group of 20 people spread like spokes on a wheel, finding inspiration, tranquility, and creativity.

            

 For the past four summers I’ve welcomed a group of writers to my secluded mountain property. We spend an afternoon soaking in the solace of the landscape, escaping traffic noise and the ring of telephones. This is my special retreat, a place where I’ve written articles and developed book ideas. I share it with my writers’ group one day of the year, and during those afternoon hours, creativity flows, from poetry to children’s stories.

             

Located a short 20-minute drive from my house in town, my woodland hideaway seems hours from the barrage of droning disruptions. This peaceful parcel of forest land has become my writing refuge. Thoreau had his Walden's Pond; I have my Peaceable Kingdom, 3+ acres of Rocky Mountain forest at an elevation of 8,000 feet. Within the timbered setting stands a 12x40 foot wood-sided cabin, which receives electricity from the sun via solar panels and heat from a russet-enameled woodstove. Although other cabins are visible through the lacy lodgepole branches, rarely is my quietude disturbed, for other property owners don't frequent their private paradises as I do mine, even during summer. 

            

In the midst of such peacefulness I create stories, sitting at my laptop that's powered by either its own battery or the solar panels connected to a cluster of marine-celled batteries, the collection which also lights our paneled cabin. Each form of energy helps me produce chapters of books or develop feature articles for magazines and newspapers. Although I can write at my home office in town, the visits to the cabin rejuvenate and revive my creativity, priming, prompting, and pumping the flow of words. Amidst the solitude, I've written three books and partially-written two others, as well as countless magazine articles, newspaper stories, and blog posts -- and more muse flows forth. Sometimes my creations are generated within the cabin itself, other times sitting under the shade of the towering lodgepoles or while reflecting in the enclave of the screened porch during twilight. The twittering of songbirds and ruckus of raptors, the fluttering of butterflies, scolding of pine squirrels, and wafting of a breeze in the tree tops tug at the tendrils of my brain and sing within the crevices of my heart, culminating in a creativeness that soars from my soul.

             

Setting is important in stories, from the written word to the backdrop of a movie screen. I am inspired by my mountain property much as Laura Ingalls Wilder was by her surroundings, whether it was Rocky Ridge Farm in Missouri or the great plains of the Dakotas. The inspired woodland location atop Casper Mountain encourages writings that will, I hope, uplift readers of my words. Whether the product is a book about my dog that helps children facing adversity, a story that teaches an environmental lesson, or an article that encourages people who are down on themselves, the excitement I feel when I sit across from my laptop in the stillness of my mountain acreage cascades through mind and spirit. For me, tranquility equals creativity and productivity.

             

Laura had her Little House in the Big Woods, Little House on the Prairie, and the Farm House in the Ozarks. I have a combination – my Little Cabin in the Tall Woods of the Great Plains. And tomorrow I will again share this unique environ with fellow writers. I smile as I envision the amazing compositions which will bloom within us as we savor the serene surroundings.

Gayle M. Irwin is a Wyoming writer, author, and speaker who creates inspirational pet stories for children and adults. She is the author of seven books and a contributing writer to six Chicken Soup for the Soul compilations. She is also a contributor to last month’s Sundown Press release Memories on Maple Street U.S.A.: Pawprints on My Heart. She volunteers for various Rocky Mountain region pet rescue organizations and writes for several newspapers and magazines, sharing stories about people, pets, and nature. Learn more at www.gaylemirwin.com.