Ordinary Words 4: Inspire

I have been so inspired by this year's York Literature Festival.  The last few weeks have been full of ideas and creativity and intelligent thought, and it was fantastic.  Finding your people does really create a sense of belonging, and for me it also makes me want to find or create something that inspires them in return.

Before we actually talk about the word 'inspire', I want to mention a new project that I have been inspired to begin on my website:  The Shakespeare Quest  .  I have always wanted to study Shakespeare, but it always seems to drop down the to-do list.  So now I am going to track my progress through my website, including my thoughts about plot, character and great quotations.   I'm sure it will prove both uplifting and useful, and hopefully it will lessen the time I spend watching TV.

'Inspire' comes from the Latin 'to breathe or blow into'.  It was originally used in the sense of breathing an idea or a truth into the mind and soul of the listener.  Often, it was a divine or supernatural being that 'inspired' a person in this way, and said person was immediately changed forever.  

From Latin it evolved into old French, and then showed up in Middle English as 'enspire'.  In English it took on an additional but related meaning:  'to fill with courage or a sense of purpose'.  That's certainly true of me this month, and I wish the same for all of you.  Go looking for inspiration - it's fresh, pure and beautiful.  Well worth the search.