So, this may sound weird. Actually, I know it will. But, I feel like I should have written about this particular inspiration of mine for a while, especially since I see it every time I sit at my computer which, I'll admit, is a more than a few times a day.

Ahem.

Okay, so there are people who gain strength from historical figures, or authors, or religious characters or someone. What do I get inspired by? A leaf.

Seriously. Now stop laughing and let me explain.

When winter began to descend upon little sleepy Corvallis, the leaves naturally started to fall off the trees that line the sidewalk outside of our apartment. All of them did, ending up on the sidewalk or street where they turned into rainy mush and were either flushed down the gutter or picked up by the street cleaner.

All of them, except one. This one leaf curled itself around a tiny thin branch and has weathered out countless rain storms, hailstorms, snowstorms, winds, and combinations of all those. There would be days where I have come home from a particularly heinous day and I sit at my computer all flustered, only to look outside and see this leaf steadfastly clinging to its branch while big heavy raindrops pelted down on it.

I can't believe I'm actually saying this. But it's true. I'm inspired by a dead leaf. I'm inspired every time I look out of my window and see this little leaf holding on quietly and calmly. I feel like I too, can withstand anything that comes my way.