July 21, 2025 – Notes from Alex

Notes by Alex – What Inspires Me to Write

What stirs something inside you enough to create?

For me—it could be anything. Honestly, many things. I’ve found inspiration in the simplest details and in the grandest moments. A quiet morning, a song lyric, a powerful movie quote. Even a glance out the window that catches the light just right. I try to pay attention to it all.

Music moves me—it tells stories without words or brings depth to the ones already written. Writings and poems open up unseen doors in my heart and mind. Uplifting news articles remind me that there’s still good happening in the world. People, in all their complexity, inspire me. A heartfelt conversation, a shared laugh, even a stranger’s kind gesture—I carry those with me.

A pet’s loyalty. A moment of peace. A line from a film. An airplane soaring overhead—especially that. Being someone who grew up around aviation, that sound alone can take me places emotionally. It brings back memories, dreams, goals.

All of it, to me, is fuel. I try to document those little flashes of inspiration—capture them, wrestle with them, and share what I find through my blogs and the book I’m writing. Writing, for me, is a way to make sense of what I see, feel, and believe. It’s how I process and share the beauty, mystery, and meaning of life.

So I ask again—what inspires you?

Let’s keep asking, keep creating, and keep sharing. You never know what spark might light the next fire.

—Alex

When darkness gathers, it’s not the time to retreat—it’s the time to rise.

“Arise, arise, Riders of Théoden!
Fell deeds awake, fire and slaughter!
Spear shall be shaken, shield be splintered,
A sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises!
Ride now, ride now! Ride to Gondor!”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

There’s something in the human spirit that stirs when we hear a battle cry—not one born of violence, but of resolve. Tolkien’s words don’t just belong in the realm of fantasy. They live in us. They echo in our quiet moments of doubt, in the face of rising storms, in the still morning when the world hasn’t yet caught fire—but you know it’s coming.

We all face our own “sword-days.”
Moments where everything is on the line.
Where darkness tries to crowd in.
Where you feel the pull to sit it out, to stay hidden, to let someone else ride.

But we weren’t made for retreat.

We were made to rise.

Like the Riders of Rohan, sometimes we are called to charge—not because the odds are good, but because the cause is just. Not because it’s safe, but because someone must stand. Because honor, truth, and courage still matter. Because deep in our souls, there’s a warrior cry waiting to be released.

And here’s the thing: it’s not about war. It’s about courage.
It’s about how you face your battles—your setbacks, your disappointments, your losses, your doubts.

Maybe today your battlefield is a broken dream.
Maybe it’s a silent struggle no one else sees.
Maybe it’s leadership under pressure, or being a light in a weary family, a divided community, or a hurting world.

But no matter the shape of your battle, the call is the same: Arise.

Arise with love.
Arise with faith.
Arise with vision.
Arise not because you’re fearless, but because you’ve chosen to move forward anyway.

We may not ride horses to Gondor.
But we do ride into each new day—often with splintered shields and trembling hands.
And still we ride.

Because someone’s waiting on the other side of your courage.
Because your rising may awaken another.
Because light is stronger than darkness—and it travels fastest through the willing.

So whatever today holds, ride boldly into it.

Ride now. Ride now.

– Notes by Alex
A place for reflections, reminders, and the quiet roar of courage.

Day: July 21, 2025

What inspires you to write?

Ride Now, Ride Now: The Call to Courage