Question: Whom do you admire the most? In what way does that person inspire you?

Excerpts from the responses:

Stacy: The person I most admire is my husband, Robert. He is the only person I know who can just inherently be himself. He is just quietly and amazingly Robert. I have never heard him judge another person. He just seems to have no reason to. He has a beautiful heart and spirit. He doesn't hold a grudge. He is a great father to our children in more ways than I can list. I feel safe when he is with me, like we could triumph over anything. And he looks fantastic in his underwear.

Micheale: So I thought about this, and at the risk of being corny, I could not think of any better candidate than my own girlfriend. In my life, I have admired many people's qualities, but I see that most of them struggle to figure out what's important and are afraid to act on it when they do. Cheryl instinctively knows what is important and real, and she doesn't screw around in getting down to the often difficult work that we all have to do in order to do this "life thing." She is fearless, spiritual, and kind.

Jennifer: My initial response is my son Jackson, but then I thought that might seem trite. But I don't suppose it should be considered trite if it is the truth. He inspires me through his innocence. He begins each day fresh. He carries no grudges and wants to be nice to each person he meets. He judges no one, he just sees another potential friend. He finds joy in most things, joy that causes him to laugh out loud. He inspires me to mimic his view of the world and he inspires me to do whatever necessary to ensure that he holds onto his innocence.

Me: This was hard. I resisted the urge to pick someone I don't know like Oprah for instance. After giving it much thought, I realized I kept coming back to the same person, my friend Micheale. She is open, honest, compassionate and extremely intelligent. Whenever I spend time with her, I walk away having learned something either about myself, her or the world around me. Our friendship enriches me.