I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the creative process. There are a couple reasons: one, people I meet often ask me how I come up with column ideas, and, two, after 18 years, it can be a bit of a challenge.

True, some columns practically write themselves when certain situations arise.

For example, there was the time my husband draped his freshly-washed synthetic clown wig over a lampshade to dry and it caught fire, sending little plumes of smoke toward the ceiling, or the “great Brussels sprout incident” when an entire bag fell out of the freezer, broke open, and rolled all over the kitchen floor to the delight of our four cats.

Then, there are the myriad quirky people I meet in restaurants, grocery stores and church who, in my humble writer’s opinion, need their stories to be told. You might remember the peach iced tea lady who spent 20 minutes informing her beleaguered restaurant server that she did-not-like-peach-iced-tea. In fact, if Dr. Seuss was still with us he could have done something wonderful with that: I do not like peach iced tea/ bring it near and I shall flee/ I will not drink it, nosireee/I do not like peach iced tea.

And there’s my daughter, Val’s, baking mishaps involving flourless chocolate chip cookies, or our kitten Tiger and her divebombing antics toward her three cat sisters.

Still, there are times when inspiration runs thin. That’s when I usually turn to my husband for ideas.

A typical column idea conversation between us might go something like this: “Bob, I don’t know what to write about this week. Any ideas?”

“Well, how about the weather? It’s been raining a lot lately.”

“Yes, it has, but there’s nothing particularly funny about it.”

“Okay, then. What about dinner last night?”

“Dinner was great. Nothing caught fire, no pots boiled over, we aren’t showing any signs of collective food poisoning … at least not so far. Sorry, not a lot of column fodder there.”

“Hmm … have you written about the cats?”

“At least half of the folks I meet know them by name.”

“There’s a lot going on with politics in our country.”

“There sure is, and I wouldn’t touch it with a 10-foot pole.”

“Has Val done anything bizarre lately?”

“Yep, but she’d kill me if I wrote about it.”

“What about your sister Debi? Any zany sibling stuff going on?”

“We’re actually getting along.”

“Why don’t you write about corn?”

“Corn? What would I say about corn, for heaven’s sake?”

“Don’t ask me. You’re the writer.”

Yep, when you think about it, it’s downright amazing I get anything written at all, let alone every week for the last 18 years. That being noted, one area in which I never lack inspiration is … inspiration. The reason is simple. I see God’s hand in every part of life.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m no highly intuitive super-holy person with highly developed “Jesus vision.”

I’m just a very average human being who is open to the presence of God in my life.

Hey, that might just make a pretty good column.