This week I’m working in Amsterdam, a city I have only visited once before, at the age of twelve, on a family holiday.

There is so much to inspire here…

Having visited the Van Gogh Museum, I expected that one of the paintings would be my theme today.  In the event, I was so absorbed in the experience and so clear that I wasn’t going to photograph any of the artwork, that all I can say is that the whole permanent collection is an inspiration.  In any case, I highlighted art as inspiration as few weeks ago with ‘Flaming June’.

It won’t surprise you that I spent a lot of time in the Museum bookshop and almost invested in a book of ‘inspiration’ taken from the letters of Van Gogh (written to his brother, Theo).  One quote that struck me was this:

“I keep on making what I can’t do yet, in order to learn to be able to do it”  Vincent Van Gogh

It surprised me to realise that what we might think of as a prolific creation of art, was to the artist ‘work in progress’ and that every painting was a learning experience rather than a demonstration of skill.

(It also reminded me of that quote from a certain fast bowler that I posted in June!)

So, what is my inspiration of the week?

The cyclists!  Amsterdam is well known as a city where the bicycle is a principle mode of transport and several people warned me to watch out for them – ‘they come at you from all directions!’

A few days in, I’ve got into the (necessary) habit of checking for cyclists at every junction before I even think of crossing the road.  This morning, I was musing on why they feel like such a hazard…

Two things:

1.  They go FAST!

2.  Most don’t indicate.

…and then I thought, in the spirit of recognising that the things we are inclined to criticise in others are often reflections of ourselves, where in my life do I do that?

Not literally, because I actually never learned to ride a bike.

But where in my life do I go quickly and forget to tell other people where I’m going?

I found my answer.  Your turn…