Does art imitate life? Why, yes it does. A series of fortunate events.

Hi everyone. If you joined me on March 17th, I talked about "inspirational" Now, I want to move on to inspiration.

Noun

• an inspiring or animating action or influence: I cannot write poetry without inspiration.
• something inspired, as an idea.
• a result of inspired activity.
• a thing or person that inspires.

As an author, so many things can inspire me. Make the proverbial light bulb go off. Ask the question, what if. So, if Rock House Grill can be inspirational, what is inspired the thought. I've been doing a series on Social Media about life and art intersecting #authorlife. Posting videos of "Easter Eggs" planted in Agent Carter, insider information in Rock House Grill. Where do my ideas come from? There's a meme I've seen...

---

Some of you may remember the television show “Dragnet” and its disclaimer “Ladies and gentlemen: the story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.” In many of my stories, that is true. My family often glares at me when some antic ends up in my book. Well, one of my favorite scenes from Rock House Grill is between the main character Aden House and his health aid John. Here’s the snippet

After changing into boxers and a clean T-shirt, Aden sat on the side of the bed, staring down at his legs. He picked up the grabber tool and hurled it across the room. What if he never recovered? Could he live with being broken? Would he ever have a normal relationship again?

“Do you need anything?” John, the rehab aide, popped his head in the door. “Can you get your legs on the bed?”

“I’ll be fine.” The man flinched at his sharpness. Aden took a deep breath. “Sorry, thank you.”

“I know it’s frustrating.” John came in, picked up the grabber and leaned against the wall. “It might help to talk to someone.”

“I’ve already talked.” He grabbed one leg, then the other, lifting them on to the bed. “See, it’s all good.”

John didn’t back off, though. “So, you’ve talked to someone. What did they say?”

Aden leaned back, put his arms behind the pillow, and stared at the ceiling tiles. “I would experience anger, frustration, insecurity—blah, blah, blah.”

“And what were you experiencing when I heard you throwing things and stuck my head in?”

Aden closed his eyes. “All of it.”

When he opened his eyes, John stood at his bedside. “You’re still the man you were. It’s a rough patch. You’ve hit rough patches before?”

“Not really.”

“Welcome then to the other 90% of humanity.” John stooped down, so he and Aden were eye level. Laugh lines and slight graying at the temples were the only indications he was older than Aden. “Circumstances change us. We can either curse them, and let them control us, or allow whatever happens to make us better.”

“I get it.”

No, I don’t think you do.” John paused a moment, grabbed a chair, and straddled it. “I have this friend. He’s a runner...

John happens to be based on my good friend Andy. Now the story is different, but its heart is the same. Andy is a runner, you see. He went to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Just before the last stage before becoming an Olympian, Andy got bronchitis. He missed his chance, but he moved on with life. Was he disappointed? You bet. Angry? What do you think? We all suffer disappointments. Trials. Our body betrays us. Loved ones let us down. But my favorite quote from this section is, “Circumstances change us. We can either curse them, and let them control us, or allow whatever happens to make us better.”

I try to live my life like this. Never give control of your emotions to flawed systems or human beings. I’ll be a bit vulnerable here. I’m a divorced person (remarried and very happy now) with one son. It’s wasn’t a pretty split. Every time the ex’s name came up, I ran the gamut of emotions. Anger, frustration, sadness, you get it. The ex was living rent-free in my emotions and mind. But one day, while out to lunch with my son, he mentioned his father and the troubling circumstances he’d gotten himself into. Rage rose up. But divine intervention happened. “Let’s pray for your dad,” I said. Funny thing, when you pray for someone, it’s hard to hold on to those negative feelings. It put control back in my own hands and heart. Yes, it would happen again. But instead of letting bitterness move back in, I lifted it to God. 
Several things followed this situation. The most important was my relationship with my son. I never spoke badly of his father. I think that’s an important thing. Before my son’s wedding, he called to say he wanted to invite his father to the ceremony. Would I be okay with that? If I let bitterness have its way with me, my answer could have been much different. The wedding could have been a disaster. Instead, we were cordial, and everything was beautiful on my son and his lovely bride’s special day.
​
Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. NLT Hebrews 12:15 

What or who is stealing your joy? How do you get past hurts and situations? If you want to share in the comments, great. Or send me an email if you’d rather it be private.[email protected]

Thanks for bearing with me, and if you want to see my goofy videos follow me on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. I’ve added the one about today’s blog below. 
​