Lacking Inspiration in February

Inspiration Just Ahead, Sign, Road signI have been feeling uninspired about writing my blog lately. Usually, I have words pouring out of me, demanding to get put down on the page or the screen.

Writer’s block has rarely presented a problem, either for this blog or for the novels always in progress. Yet, here I sit, feeling a lack of inspiration, a dearth of words, a paucity of ideas, about which to write.

February is the Difficult Month

Why now? Well, many of us find February a difficult month. The glitz and get-togethers of the holiday season have passed on by. Winter weather often stops us from going outside. The snow piles up, then melts, then drifts again in a dispiriting cycle. We had another foot of snow yesterday.

Normally, I’m up and out of the house, doing different things and gaining inspiration from what I see or experience. I work on my garden or the church’s memorial garden and go for walks at the Assabet Valley Wildlife Center. I lead tours in Boston,

My husband and I take in a show at an art museum, drive to restaurants that we like, do some shopping, or go to an event of some kind. Once upon a time, we went to the movies but have pretty much stopped that, too. Theaters offer so little to attract us even on an inclement Sunday afternoon when social distancing is not a problem.

Wandering for Inspiration

Ice drawing, Assabet Valley Wildlife Center, snow

Someone got inspired by snow and ice

Sometimes, if the weather is nice, we’ll go to Boston so I can take pictures of the places I want to write about. I’ve been known to just go in and wander around the city, getting inspiration from the places I see.

We had been making strides in this direction at the end of the year, but Omicron caused us to stop and stay close to home. I wander less when there’s snow or rain on top of ice, which makes the footing very treacherous. Also, I experience less wanderlust when the temperature is 5° with a wind-chill factor that dips below zero.

On My “Things to Do” List

Having said that, there are places I want to go and I have a list of things I want to do. Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts has just opened their new galleries displaying a vastly expanded collection of Netherlandish Art.

Museum of Fine Arts Boston, MFA, Netherlandish Art, Van Otterloo Collection, Weatherbie Collection, Boston

Courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston

The gifts of the Van Otterloo and Weatherbie Collections, have given the MFA high-quality examples in every category of Dutch painting. Having seen much of the Van Otterloo collection when it was on exhibit at Salem’s Peabody-Essex Museum, I know this is going to be good.

Also, the MFA has restructured their ancient Egyptian galleries. Given the size and weight of some pieces, that must have been a real project. I want to see how it turned out.

Art: Hidden in Plain Sight

Not all of Boston’s noteworthy art resides in the confines of a museum, however, I have a list of eight amazing works of art, both sacred and secular, that are hiding in plain sight around the city. I just have to get to them so I can see for myself, take some pictures, and form my own opinions.

Boston Panorama Mural, State Street

Mural with a panorama of 19th-century Boston

Plus, there are more. I know there are more. Would the weather please improve? Please? I like to visit the places and things I write about to ensure that I get the right information and have first-hand impressions. On the few occasions I have broken this rule, I vowed not to do it again. But Omicron and the winter are testing my resolve.

I have, at times, been tempted to break another rule: “No Politics.” So much is going on right now that the network news media ignore or gives lip service to that I want to write about it.  But no. With today’s divided country and volatile social media, I would regret it later on.

Looking for Inspiration

So, here I sit, uninspired by my life, depressed by the winter, shut-in by the weather, and looking for a spark. The snow drifts down and puts me to sleep. I haven’t written about astronomical stuff or a TV watchlist for a while but even those ideas don’t start the usual flow of words. What to do?