See Beautiful: Inspiration

"You can believe that you are neither a slave to inspiration nor its master, but something far more interesting- its partner - and that the two of you are working together toward something intriguing and worthwhile. You can live a long life, making and doing really cool things the entire time."

                                - Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic

Isn't that a beautiful thought? Inspiration. It happens every day, to everyone. Sometimes we act on our inspiration. Sometimes we don't. 

Some people get inspired to make a song, others a gourmet meal, jewelry, a flower garden. As bloggers, we get to share our inspirations regularly, and I've enjoyed so many thoughtful, fun, engaging posts from all of you.

The other day I was inspired to make a nice comment to the bagger at the commissary as she loaded my groceries into the car. She grinned from ear to ear, and said, "It's my birthday today! I'm 65 years old today!"* I wished her happy birthday and we chatted for a minute, smiling. Honestly, it kind of made my day.

 I think little inspirations are just as important as the big, giant ones. Sure, I'd paint the Mona Lisa if I could, but if I waited till then to make something I'd never make anything. 

To become beautiful though I think inspiration must be shared. Well, what was made from the inspiration must be shared. That's where the joy comes in. 

The yoga teacher today felt inspired to share an Ernest Hemingway quote with the class. Here it is: "We are all broken. That's how the light gets in." I thought about that for the rest of the hour. Sharing that thought cost her nothing, but added meaning to my day. What if she had thought, "probably they've all heard that before, they'll think I'm weird"?

Isn't this great? A lionfish!

While vacationing, we came back to our room every afternoon to find a different animal on our bed, made of towels by the housekeeper, just to surprise us and make us smile. What if she had thought, "oh, that's silly, they'll think it's stupid"? We would have missed out on the pleasure we felt when we saw her creations.

The beautiful thing about inspiration is that it's a gift to you, and then you make it a gift to others! 

There's an older gentleman in our city who roller skates every afternoon in a parking lot at the corner of a very busy intersection. He skates with abandon and joy to music only he can hear through his earphones. I've sat there at the red light, watching him and forgetting all about how impatient I was for the light to turn green. Why does he do it - publicly? It can only be because he's inspired to share his passion. I think that's quite beautiful.

Inspiration at work!

What beauty have you been inspired to make lately?

 Who did you share your beauty with?

Today's {This Moment} See Beautiful Friday! Join the blog hop - share the beauty in your life with us :)

*you might be wondering why a 65-year-old woman loaded my groceries. Baggers at the commissary work for tips only, and sadly, quite a few of them are retired people.