Introducing: Blog it Forward
Hello lovelies! By now you might have heard about Blog it Forward, an awesome blogging movement that has been organized and headed up by the lovely Victoria of Sfgirlbybay. Today marks the launch of this exciting and inspiring project and I am thrilled to be amongst the first 10 bloggers starting things off.
So what is Blog it Forward? A group of around 300 bloggers who want to share more about what inspires them on a personal level and have agreed to do so on their blogs - and then pass it forward to the next blogger on the BIF list (a chain reaction of inspiration if you will). The list of contributors for this round quickly filled up, but you can easily join in even if you're name is not on the list. Perhaps reading some of the Blog it Forward entries in the coming weeks will inspire you in ways you won't expect. Maybe you'd like to share what inspires you on your blog. Blog it Forward is all about positive words and actions...which is something everyone benefits from! I so hope you'll join in!
To start things off I'd like to share a tiny bit with you all today about what truly inspires me. It was so hard for me to create a short list of what inspires me most since it seems that that list is growing longer and longer all the time. But for the sake of this exercise...my top inspirations are:
MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS:
I've moved a lot in my lifetime which has been hard for me at times. However my family and the friends I've made along the way have been the one consistent thing that keeps me grounded and moving forwards towards my dreams. Their love and belief in me inspires me every day. Something else that must be said about my friends and family is how their home(s) are always filled with laughter. The older I get the more I realize what a gift laughter is. I am forever blessed by my family and friends.
LIFE'S BEAUTIFUL DETAILS:
I've struggled with depression to varying degrees throughout my life (I know this is something a lot of creative people live with), and because of this I push myself to look for beauty in life's little details. Believe me, this is not always easy...but I've found that the more I seek out beauty, joy, hope...the more I find it. Having a camera in hand helps this process along for me. Having the opportunity to look back at all the photos I've taken is a wonderful way to remind myself that there is always beauty to be found if I just remember to look for it.
THE BLOGGING COMMUNITY:
The internet is incredibly vast, but it is easy to feel the closeness of friendship and kindred sprits amongst the blogging community. Every day I am touched by the generosity and thoughtfulness of my fellow bloggers. I have had so many kindnesses shown to me by those in blogland; both readers of my blog and writers of the blogs I read...and these kindnesses give me so much hope for our world and humanity in general. That might sound dramatic, but it's true. I just love the people I've met (in person and virtually) through blogging. I can't imagine my life without this amazing environment of creative individuals! That means YOU!
There are so many more things that inspire me, but we'll save those for another day. Thank you so much for taking the time to read what I had to share.
Now...I'm blogging it forward to 2 days in the Rain. Be sure to check out her site tomorrow for the next installment of Blog It Forward. And after you finish reading this post you'll want to visit the following blogs for their Blog if Forward posts: Design for Mankind, Heart Fish, Hula Seventy, Ink on my Fingers, Oh, Hello Friend, Paper Pony, Poppytalk, Sfgirlbybay and Smile and Wave. You can check out the full schedule and list of upcoming contributors right here. A giant thank you again to Victoria for making this whole thing possible! xo Ez
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| by Ez Wednesday, February 10, 2010 
Reader Comments (52)
Ez - You've really set a standard for these inspiration posts. So open and personal...
Thank you for sharing a slice of your life today.
((sigh)) beautiful!!
"more I seek out beauty, joy, hope...the more I find it." -- so true and so inspiring, ez, thank you so much!!!
This is lovely. The concept and your execution of it. I'm going to read up on how to get involved :-)
Ez, this is such a beautiful post, and as someone who has the black following her around too, i am nodding my head and smiling :)
"the black dog" that should say ;)
Thank YOU for being inspiring!
Love to read you.
I love how you put your family and friends as inspiration! How lovely! The pictures are truly beautiful as well!! Your blog it forward was great!
*BEAUTIFUL* post. This project sounds amazing, I'm going to visit the other links right now! Thanks for sharing :)
It's so refreshing and exhilarating to be exposed to such truth & beauty. gorgeous.
yes, yes and yes! xo
What a great peek inside your world! Thanks for all of this!
What a beautiful and honest insight into what inspires you, Ez! I really, really enjoyed reading this and getting to see a little more of the lovely person you are. Thank you for sharing this with us!
such a great post! thank you!
I really love that you included your friends and family as your inspiration. I get so many ideas from those closest to me, it's so nice to relate.
Thank you for sharing, your blog is truly wonderful.
And I love the idea of BIF!
Thanks for this wonderful post to kick off the blog it forward! I loved everything you shared buy my favorite was the "Life's beautiful details."
Wonderful post. I think of beauty as glasses we put on---wearing them means we see more. Thank you for your contributions in this.
Thank you for share n on such a personal level....
Just lovely and I loved your honesty. I wish you wrote more about yourself on your blog like you used to. I miss that, it made me believe that you were this real person that was just trying to make her way in the world and lo and behold you have! It's what has kept me coming back. Besides you have a very, very, interesting story my dear, I mean book worthy interesting;
Thanks for sharing yourself in this lovely post. When you move from place to place frequently (I have too), your sense of self is tested by new surroundings. It's hard work, but the person who emerges is a strong and beautiful character. Your blog is a pleasure to read.
I'm a little late to the party, but just wanted to say this really was a lovely post, Ez.
What a lovely post! Especially love the family pics. May you continue to be inspired and inspire others in turn, as you have been doing so beautifully all these years. I love you!
Thanks, big sister!! I love you so much! You know how much you inspire me, too!
Love and hugs,
Genny
Thanks for sharing, Ez. I totally agree with you. And I love this project Victoria dreamed up!
Hello
I love this post it´s beautiful, and so is your blog it inspires me alot.
Have a great Valentines Day.
Beautiful post! As someone who has also struggled with depression for quite some time I so well understand the importance of seeing the beauty of life's small details and finding inspiration from blogs (like yours).