Sparks

I found myself revising my kids' book chapter again tonight. No new deadline, really, but I read the chapter someone else had written, and it sparked something in me. Just a few words here and there, and I immediately knew I had changes to make. It was as if something the other person had created had sparked a whole new idea for me.
 
It's amazing how something quite small can act as a spark for us. People often ask me how I continue to have things to blog about each day, and truthfully, I find that many days, my writing is about reacting to the sparks that happen around me. Whether it's a person I meet or a funny situation I witness or am a part of, if I keep my eyes and ears open, there is always a new spark.
 
So, if there are always new sparks, why do we so often continue through our lives without changing? The key, as I see it, is being open to noticing the sparks--and to reacting to them. Last night, I could have read the other person's chapter, thought, "great chapter," and let it end there. Instead, I allowed it to affect me, and to spark a change in my own writing. I could view the bumps and annoyances of daily life as just that, bumps and annoyances. Instead, I allow them to make me think about where they really fit in, and what they mean, and quite frequently, they spark my daily blog.
 
When you think about it, a spark is really just a spark until you help it light a fire (or you let it burn you!) The key, as I see it, is grabbing all those sparks, and letting them make the best fires possible--the fires that make us creative, and productive--and warm and light along the way.