My Inspiration Book

I have lost my Inspiration Book - the book in which I write down any quotes, sentences, phrases, poetry, speeches or lyrics which have caught my interest, provoked an opinion or emotion, changed my way of thinking, or expressed something I thought in a way which is eloquent, beautiful or poignant.
For the past three years I have been recording my findings in a little orange notebook, always painstakingly hand-written in a black pen, author's name carefully written in the bottom-left corner of the page. I enjoyed the personal indulgence of this activity; the book was only for me, written in my own handwriting. The labour involved in adding a new entry became a routine which I embraced, and followed with an almost religious devotion.
 I was close to tears when I realised I could not find this small, seemingly insignificant notebook. After all, it contains writings which I feel have become part of me. I would often return to this book when in need of some comfort or a fresh viewpoint, when I felt that my life was stale or that my mind needed some new stimulation, or a reminder of the things which I had decided were important to me.
I am still hoping that I will find my little orange notebook, but in the meantime I am going to use this blog as a new Inspiration Book. Through writing something which is no longer solely personal, I am intrigued as to how my Inspiration Book will transform. Although I will miss my ritual of hand writing each quote in my black pen, life is all about moving forward, and perhaps this will become a new ritual, a new chapter...