Inspiration is all around us--even tucked away in a creepy looking vending machine at a small ice cream parlor.
“I think about how the world is breathing over me, anticipating regular moments of inspiration if I only pause to inhale...”
As long as we choose to inhale, we receive the opportunity to be inspired, to learn something new, to feel refreshed, or to shift perspectives.
Perhaps my story of inspiration was caused less by a creepy vending machine and caused more by my 2 year old son's decision. So here's the story:
Upon entering an ice cream parlor to escape an outside sticky heat and to indulge in a sweet treat, my 2 sons noticed 2 separate vending machines sitting side by side. One typical machine contained clearly visible bouncy balls of assorted colors and swirls. The other machine contained a monkey sitting atop assorted color plastic eggs containing a small prize. Without much thought my older child asked for a quarter to buy a bouncy ball. Again without much thought, my younger child asked for a quarter to put into the monkey vending machine. Even with my interference by reminding him that we do not know what was in the egg and that he does know that he likes bouncy balls, he was adamant about purchasing that egg.
Did I feel inspired? Well not right away. The inspiration occurred to me a month later when I found this egg in the bottom of my purse. It had a "message" for me that I was ready to recognize.
My son pursued the unknown, took a healthy risk, and was able to regulate how he felt and responded to the outcome. Once I breathed in this realization, I asked myself a few questions.
How often do I settle for what's clearly visible rather than taking healthy risk?
What keeps me from stepping out of familiarity and into the unknown?
What does this say about how I view faith or hope?
How do I handle the unexpected? Or the outcome?
Am I listening to all the subtle whispers that lead me to find inspiration?
How do I encourage rather than inhibit my children's pursuits and dreams?
My hope for you reading this blog post is that you begin to listen to those whispers, inhale the inspiration surrounding us, and bravely step out in faith.