nature / hope

THE END

Through this project, I have learned—or, rather, reminded myself—that you can’t force inspiration to pop into your mind. The number of days I sat down to work on this book, only to find my brain empty, was beguiling.

On one such day, I went for a walk around the block, searching for a spark. I found nothing, my brain as empty as when I had begun, but then, suddenly, a beautiful yellow butterfly emerged from the tree above me and slowly glided toward me until it was just out of reach. The moment was so beautiful, and so unexpected, that it made me cry. I hadn’t been prepared to find beauty in that moment, yet there it was, a perfect gift for me.

What I’ve learned is that inspiration is almost entirely accidental. In fact, it is the novelty of inspiration that makes it what it is. Where there was nothing, something suddenly appears. Though you might put yourself in the path of inspiration, the most inspiring notion I can think of is that you never quite know what it is that will strike you.

Is it our obligation to seek inspiration then? I follow the poet Mary Oliver’s instructions on this one: “Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”

I hope this book has brought you new thoughts, new ideas, and new feelings. But, more than anything, I hope it has moved you to pay attention to the inspiration all around you. I hope you find your butterfly, and, when you do find it, I hope its beauty moves you to tears. Finally, I hope you share the inspiration you find and that it inspires others.