poking inspiration with a stick

I suppose it's the time of year that does it to me. The sweet sun's rays hitting my face and filling my body with a little vitamin D that makes inspiration flow through my veins. I get antsy with these compelling ideas of change, community, and just plain good times. Well, this morning was an interesting morning. I felt supercharged with ideas (this usually happens after hitting the bottom of my coffee cup). I took one of my favorite CDs I compiled for a friend after having "one of those summers"--you know, the one full of youth, music, and, well, carefree, happy times. It is amazing that one CD can dig up such memories and passion again. Anyway, so I grabbed my $.60 morning coffee from the quaint, small town gas station (it's the only one that gives me a discount on my cup of joe for using my own cup--thank you Centerstop and other coffee joints take notice) and decided to take my 5 month old son, Henrik, for a little drive while listening to the music on my favorite mix that could potentially change the world if someone would let it. It was a beautiful morning, the fog was kissing the green earth just after an early morning rain as we drove just outside the city limits (not far by any means). Each song provoking more and more inspiration. Of course not too far into the drive Henrik fell asleep to the somber notes of Ben Harper's guitar, but I'm sure he was just as inspired as I was. As I drove the open, winding surrounding county roads, I got this idea. One of those ideas of all ideas...okay mostly just this rush of ambition to actually do what I've talked about doing for years--everyone has that one thing on their so called "bucket list." So on the way back into town, as I could see the valley of Windom in the horizon and its water tower standing tall among the green trees, all I could think about was spreading love and inspiration all over this small, rural town I call home (and have called home for most of my life). You see, I live in this small city thats reaks of potential. Don't get me wrong there are many things I love about Windom, Minnesota. I love it's surrounding lakes, the people, the fact that I can get a cup of coffee for $.60, the idea that my son Henrik will have thousands of eyes watching him grow and helping him become a man who will make a difference in this world with love and passion. But unfortuneately, when I walk downtown (a mere 3 blocks from our old house) I see buildings that need TLC (the very important acronym my mother taught me at a very young age), I see a town that needs a little TLC and I don't see pride or feel community, but it is there, oh, I promise you, it is there and this is where my $.02 comes in. So, for a long time I have felt the need to create and inspire, whether it be in my own house or at work, but now it is not enough for it to be confined into my own space. I don't want to look back at my life and say "what if..." or "if I had only...". I'm ready to complete those sentences with verbs for God's sake. I'm tired of dreaming and I'm ready to do! I'm going to get involved already! Instead of complaining about things--I'm going to do something about it. I want what any parent would want for her child-I want Henrik to grow up knowing he can make a change and live his dreams and that good 'ol saying Monkey See, Monkey Do sure sounds like it belongs right here in this sentence. So now you are probably wondering where this is all going? Why a blog? Well, I can't do it alone. Through this blog and the help of others, I wish to change this town from a sad soon-to-be-gone-with-the-wind town into a tourist destination and rural hot spot in the Midwest. I've always believed that if you write it down, the better chances you have of actually doing it. So, with a big, long breath--do it with me...innnnnnn and ouuuuuuut...I'm going to actually make a difference--a tangible difference in the small world I live in. These are my baby steps of change: *Get people on the same page. I'm going to write a letter to the editor of our local paper about this blog and what I plan to do to for Windom. I'm going to spread the word!!! I want to make it easier for people to see potential where many might not see it, for example where there are weeds, I really see that it could be a beautiful garden. Most importantly, make people understand a great amount of money doesn't have to be involved--although it makes things easier, which leads to the next baby step. *Find some funding. There has to be funding somewhere. Whether it is from the state of Minnesota, from the county, from the city, from programs or from willing donors. Does anyone know of ways to get funding to help a city? I will have to do some research here. *I want to be in contact with the city. The chamber of commerce, the Windom Area Development Committee, the city council and mayor. *Doing my research. Finding cities that are doing what I wish to see Windom do. We have such great wildlife and lakes surrounding us, we have a river that whispers history, we have WIND POWER, and we have a historic county courthouse smack dab in the middle of it all. Now the question is: how do we use these things so people take notice, so people want to come, so people want to stay? What have others cities done to make them a "hot spot?" I'm crying out at this point for help. If anyone can point me in a direction of a mentor and more inspiration it would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking for help in order to get my community to find itself again and for a whole world to find Windom, Minnesota. This is my $.02: Finding Windom on a Map of a Million Cities. With a little hope, prayer and support watch me blog my dreams come true. Happy times,

**Thanks to the city's website (http://www.windom-mn.com/) for the picture of our beloved Cottonwood County Courthouse.