MediocreMan

Inspiration Strikes · 23 May 2026

I recently got a fortune from a fortune cookie that said:

“Follow the trail of inspiration; it leads to greatness.”

Poppycock!

I think that inspiration is great. I think it can lead lots of places. But I also think that we place too much emphasis on inspiration. And when we think that inspiration is the is all to end all, we are in for trouble. Especially, if we are writers.

Now, I am not saying that people should not follow inspiration. They often should. It might even lead to greatness. But many people think that they need to wait to be inspired to do any work. They think that inspiration will strike like lightning and they will automatically be great if they follow that inspiration strike. The problem with this mentality is that people often wait and wait and wait. It is as if there is no cloud in the sky, but these people are going to wait for the lightning to come. But it rarely comes for those who just wait for it. Just like lightning rarely strikes out of a blue sky.

Personally, I think that inspiration strikes when we are working. When we are doing what we need to do. When we are busy doing anything but waiting. For the work is what inspires us. “What if I did it a different way? What if there was some tool for that? What if…” These questions do not come about when a person waits for inspiration, they come about when a person is working. When a person is doing what he or she is supposed to be doing.

The inspiration lightning strikes more often for those people busy doing what they are supposed to be doing than for those who are waiting. I suppose that is because there are often storm clouds looming. Deadlines and pressure tend to bring those clouds into view. And then, the lightning strikes. From those dark, stormy clouds.

I used to write like that. Waiting for inspiration. In fact, I would mostly write when life got me down. When there was a great loss. Usually death. I sometimes even despaired of writing because inspiration only seemed to strike when a loved one died. I wrote a poem or a song or a remembrance of that loved one. But I wrote it too late. I wrote the odes when my loved ones were not around to hear the words.

Which is why I write nearly every day. Or at least part of why I write on such a schedule. I do not want to wait for death or destruction or calamity to strike before I write. Before I am inspired. I want to write about the mundane as well as the inspirational.

I do think that inspiration is a marvelous thing. I look forward to it happening on those rare or even not so rare occasions. And yes. Sometimes we really ought to follow that inspiration. But we should never wait for inspiration. We should work diligently and inspiration will strike. Sometimes from the most mundane things. Sometimes from a silly fortune cookie.

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Write Something Great · 16 May 2026

I would like to write something great someday. Even if it is just one thing.

I do not think that I am alone thinking that I would like to write something great. But I also know that even if somebody does think that something I write is great, greatness is not determined by what people think now. Or even in a few years. It seems that greatness is determined by future generations.

As I think about future generations judging me and my writing, I cannot help but think that if anybody does still read my writing in future generations (and that is a big if), they may not have the context of history. They may not understand what circumstances I am writing in. They might not understand what the human race was going through at the time. Which is understandable. We do not necessarily read books with a historical lens. We cannot determine the social context of stories of olde. We can barely read books in light of our own situations. Or maybe that is just me.

Of course, there is the real possibility that none of my books or writings will survive beyond my time. My Amazon account and my blog publishing services could be turned off as soon as I perish. Which, in all likelihood, is what will happen. So despite what we say about the internet being forever, my writings will probably all pass away when I do.

Which is the ultimate writing judge. Time.

Think about it. There are lots and lots of books and other writing that we will never know about because they have not survived. People do not know about the author striving to be published in the whatever-teenth century. We have never heard of very many people who have put pen to paper. After all, we all have writing out there somewhere. Or at least we did. We did until we burned up our term papers and essays and poems when the class was over. When we needed a little something to start the fire. When we decided that we needed to clean out the attic or closet or wherever we store that writing we have kept for so long.

Which is a bummer.

(Wow. I did not mean to write such a downer blog post.)

I really just meant to say that I would rather be prolific and read by many while I am still around than be considered great after my time. I would rather people see me as a hack but still read my stuff rather than somebody who was ignored in my own time and discovered much later. Of course, the ultimate would be to be adored now and later. But that might be too much to ask. Okay. It is way too much to ask. But still…

Well, that is about it for today’s daydreaming. I will keep writing whether anybody reads. And maybe, just maybe, I can write something someday that somebody will think is great.

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The Burden We All Bear · 9 May 2026

The burden that we all must bear
Is not an onus that should own us
Indeed the burden that we bear
In this life should be a bonus.

For the burden that we all share
Is that God’s image we do bear
And for each other we should care
We should love each other if we dare.

Instead we think we are not free
If we step into the Christian yoke
But when we surrender all to Thee
We end up free like Jesus spoke.

The freedom that we all can share
Lies in the burden that we bear
Because for each other we must care
Because God’s image each of us bear.

[‘The Weight I Never Chose’
Write a poem that could use this as its title or main theme. Explore a burden you didn’t ask for, but learned to carry.
DailyPrompt prompt submitted by Poet.]

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