Out of Darkness…

The darkness that precedes the light… is the space in which transformation occurs.

In the past few days I have been told that I have inspired several people:

I’ve inspired new artistic expressions through photography;
I’ve inspired thought;
I’ve inspired the desire to write.

It has never been my intention, as far as I knew, to inspire people, though I am starting to realize that in saying so I’m being somewhat unfair to myself. I do wish to inspire change. I wish to inspire care and concern for this wonderful planet we are privileged to call home. I want to inspire action. Because what is intention without follow-through?

It’s flattering to think that I’ve inspired others, but I think a note of gratitude needs to be shared for those who inspire me: my parents, my mentors, my teachers, my friends; the artists, writers, and thinkers that came before me, who cultivated the standards to which I now hold myself. They inspired, and continue to inspire, and for that I am eternally grateful for it is inspiration that challenges us to become better versions of ourselves.

How does your garden grow?

Someone once told me that personal growth comes as a result of surrounding oneself only with one’s betters, those who will push us toward greatness. I think that is true, but only to a point. Optimistically, I believe that we are all “better” at something. We each have something unique, a perspective, a vision, a talent that would benefit the world. We need to nurture and cultivate it. Our uniqueness needs to be carefully tended so that it might blossom into something great and profound. We each need to acknowledge our talents and to share our brilliance, like a thousand exploding stars, blinding the world with greatness. This is the truth of it. To see others as “less than” is inherently limiting, for there is a story, a lesson, and an experience in everyone.

So I don’t merely surround myself with my so-called betters. I surround myself with people, because every one of us provides a new insight into the world.

“Connect. Embrace. Liberate. Love somebody.
Just one person. And then spread that to two.
And as many as you can.
You’ll see the difference it makes.

~ Oprah Winfrey

Not everyone is inspired to grow. And, perhaps, that’s okay. Some of us are meant to be exactly as we are, to be loved and appreciated exactly the same. There’s a lesson in that, too. But some of us are meant to transform, to take shape inside a chrysalis and emerge changed. Some of us are meant to be bigger, better than we currently are, a part of something “more”. And those are the people who inspire me the most, the people who are inspired not to stagnate but to push forward and find their purpose or their reason for being. Those are the people who remind me that though we might slip along the way, or pause to rest, true growth comes when we get up after a nap, after a fall, or after life’s misdirection. Growth comes when we find our strengths amidst our weaknesses and our light in the darkness.

So I am flattered to think that I inspire others, but you should all know this: in your own unique way, you inspire me too.

Be the light which inspires others.