This past weekend I had the opportunity to meet a local publisher, Philip Lee of Readers to Eaters, at a local garden sale where he had a pop up bookshop.  I have been a huge fan of the books that he publishes, one in particular I have gushed about here at The Petite Stag: Alice Waters and the Trip to Delicious

My response was real and genuine, I have been a stay at home mom for almost two years now, after teaching full time for many years, I got bored, I felt unfulfilled, I wanted more.  I loved that when I was teaching I would be able to put books in the hands of children and watch what could happen.  That incredible excitement when you share a story and then see where that journey takes the reader.  Well, that is something truly special.

Here is the part where I cringe a little.  If you know me well, which some of you do, you will know why I cringe.  Basically, I love being a mom, it is one of the most rewarding and inspiring parts of my life.  I feel honored to be able to have two wonderful little girls, whom I adore.  With that said, there are moments, when you crave a little more and honestly I think that is okay.  I think it’s okay to pursue your passions.  To have something that you can focus on, something that helps you feel inspired.  For me, being inspired and really passionate about something makes me a better mom.  I have found that being inspired is also contagious and causes others to start to get excited and feel inspired to do things that they are passionate about.   That is what The Petite Stag is to me, a place where I can get excited about books.

You see when I was teaching, there would be these moments, when I would be working with a student or teaching a class and there would be this spark and this priceless moment would take place.  Even when I had difficult classes or frustrating moments it would be that “spark” that I would seek; that spark is what inspired me.  What I came to realize is that often times that magical moment of watching a connection be made or an interest be peaked… happened around books and a petites interaction with books.  It was my passion for educating and it was that moment that inspired me to write The Petite Stag.

I wanted to be able to share my passion for reading and literacy with, well anyone who would listen, or read in this case.  So what Philip Lee asked me on Saturday seemed like a basic question, but it was more than that because I have been struggling lately.  Lately, reality has been a little too real and I have been struggling with inspiration.  So that simple question of how did you get into blogging? really got me thinking about all of this and what an important thing it is to be inspired.

So, for today, I choose to be inspired.