Be Inspired By Stories

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Around the water cooler, on the subway or the carpool ride, in classrooms, work rooms and living rooms, stories are told day and night. From loud boisterous laughs to quiet hush-hush voices, from solitary emails to movie screens around the world, stories of life weave into the fabric of all our lives.

In fact the very point of this website is to feature stories of the inspiring kind, which makes it a perfect place to showcase the art of storytelling.  In that, it’s a also a welcome opportunity to promote storytelling festivals, where the age-old rituals of story-telling are celebrated, enjoyed and given recognition they deserve.  After all, storytelling probably goes back as far as humans do, and there is much evidence that points to such an assumption.

Relics of words and languages have been found carved in stone or wood from ancient civilizations, and stories written on pieces of parchment have inspired science and history research for thousands of years. Today story telling is celebrated in many diverse and popular festivals such as Powell’s Wood Festival, which is held just outside Seattle and was featured in the CBS News story found at the link below.  Another well-known festival is The Moth, which often attracts those in the 20-30 something age group, as well as those willing to expect a wide variety of story themes.

Wherever they are found, storytelling festivals offer masters of spoken word, as well as written word and can inspire imagination, creation and good, old-fashioned communication in young, old and all in between.

For my Examiner.com column and CBS video story, click on the link below

http://www.examiner.com/article/be-inspired-by-stories

For the CBS video story directly, click on the link below,

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/storytelling/festivals/keep/tradition/alive

Enjoy!

Tough Mudders are inspired to get down and dirty for sport

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In the lull between the Olympic Games and the Paralympics Games, comes the story of a very different category of competitor. A competitor whose main objective in crossing the finish line, is to beat out a most brutal challenger, themselves.The Tough Mudder competition has followers that are dedicated to levels that take them through the most extreme of elements. Elements that include all manner of climbing heights to crawling lows, the heat of sweat to freezing water and mud baths that would blow away the best of spa treatments.

For more on this story and an amazing video from ABC’s Nightline, check out my column on Examiner.com, http://www.examiner.com/article/tough-mudders-are-inspired-to-get-down-and-dirty.

Re-post of an Inspired Love Story

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This story got a lot of hits on my Examiner column, so I’m re-posting it here. It’s a story one could say, has been standing the test of time, and can inspire all of us to reach for the depths of our love for others…enjoy!

*British Farmer Winston Howes and his wife Janet had been married 33 years when she passed away from heart complications 17 years ago. Devastated and wanting to do something to honor his wife, Mr. Howes said he was inspired to create the six acre, heart-shaped field that graces his Gloucestershire countryside farm. Planting thousands of sapling oaks with an interior hedge that shapes the inner field into a heart, a bench rests on one side. Mr. Howes says he visits the field, sitting on the bench to spend time and think.

This special place was a family secret until recently, when a passing balloonist viewed the amazing field stretched out below him.Now the world has the opportunity to discover this inspired story, and see the beautiful symbol of love that grows fuller with each passing year.

For an ariel video of the field visit the following link from MSNBC: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/farmer’s-secret-tribute/

For more written about the story, visit the following link from CBS News:
http://www.cbsnews.com/widowers-secret-tribute-to-wife-spied-from-above/

Inspiring Architecture From Around The World

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Westminster Abbey, London, England.  Photo Credit: Oli Scarff  for Getty Images / Usage permission for Examiner.com

The 2012 Summer Olympics are right around the corner as eyes, ears and hearts will turn to amazing stories from around the world.  While there will be plenty of those to be seen here in the coming days, let’s take a look at some of the amazing architecture to be found in the homelands represented in this international celebration.

For the complete slide-show that goes with the article, visit my column at Examiner.com:  http://www.examiner.com/article/inspiring-architecture-from-around-the-world-2 

Enjoy!

Spencer West Makes an Inspiring Mountain Climb on His Hands

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Spencer West could certainly be considered a man with a mission; a mission that inspires others to challenge themselves in making the most of life.

Mr. West knows what it’s like to face challenges. At age 5 he lost his legs, but the support and  encouragement of family and friends, and steadfast determination has now propelled him to mountain heights, quite literally.

Accompanied by friends, 31-year-old West recently completed an eight-day climb to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Kenya, on his hands.  In an interview for ABC News, Mr. West talks about making most of the journey on his hands, some in his chair, and at times, even on the backs of his friends.

For the ABC video clip of Spencer West’s interview, with an additional story about his life and journey written by Nick Schifrin, visit the following link:

http://abcnews.go.com/International/man-climbs-mt-kilimanjaro-hands/story.

For the complete article, visit my column at Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/inspiration-in-seattle/nadia-riell.

 

 

ICIL is on a blog tour with Author Blog In!

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Thanks to Kate Policani for including me on this blog tour! Below is a description of what I hope to bring to the lives of readers with my book. I’m pleased to be able to present Inspiring Childhood, Inspiring Life,  as well as other author’s books with this opportunity.  http://katepolicani.com/author-blog-in/

I also invite you to visit my  inspirational stories column at http://www.examiner.com/inspiration-in-seattle/nadia-riell.

Happy touring everyone, and happy reading too!

Excerpt from Inspiring Childhood, Inspiring Life – Perspectives on Love, Encouragement and Reaching Potential:

Living life whether you’re growing up, already grown up or also in the role of parenting, is certainly not a perfect science.  There isn’t a “one size fits all” formula to follow in order to achieve success or happiness, yet most of us want to achieve them.

Many times it’s short conversations or a just a few simple words with others, that give us the chance to share joy, success, encouragement and even help with lessons in life.

Those moments are what I had in mind with the collections in this book.  My hope is to offer a simple place to give, get and share inspirations about everyday choices.

The ideas and perspectives on these pages have come through observations, conversations and relationships; also through  diverse experiences, opportunities, trials and triumphs, both personal and otherwise.

If this book helps you to find and share a desire to know love, champion encouragement and seek potential, than it will have done what I’d hoped for in writing it.

Well wishes,

Nadia ~