Inspiration can be found anywhere and everywhere. We typically think of inspiration as visible when mortal humans do superhuman things, like overcoming physical challenges or adversity, acts of heroism, generosity to those in dire need, sacrificing one’s own well-being to help others, and taking in majestic mountain or ocean scenery. Yes, these can all be incredibly inspirational, but these events are certainly not the only inspirational incidents that we encounter.
My personal experiences have included being inspired by often very simple acts and common daily events. That is not to say that every time any of us does something that, someone will or should be inspired, but what is meant by this is that small things matter and can certainly be inspirational.
As we age, our perspective on topics such as what is “inspirational” changes. Waking up early to a beautiful sunrise is inspirational. Watching an elderly couple walking hand in hand while stabilizing each other is inspirational. Observing service teams restoring power or clearing roadways during inclement weather is inspirational. Reading the Bible is inspirational. Sometimes, just a friendly greeting from a stranger is inspirational.
Often, those things we take for granted ARE inspiring, but in the busyness of life, we glance without soaking in the magnificence of the little things. We are probably all familiar with the book “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff,” but perhaps someone should write a book called “Celebrate the Small Stuff.”
The moral of the story is that we should all take a few moments each day and just look around us and notice the great feats that occur during our daily lives, sometimes ours but also among others, and recognize the incremental value of each of these small seemingly insignificant beauties.
