The only thing I can really say is that I am inspired. I am inspired by the dreamers around me and the hope that flutters in all our hearts. It is difficult to explain this feeling, because it is a feeling. It goes way beyond what words can describe.
So I guess the only thing I can really explain is what is going to come of this inspiration.
I’ve been observing stereotypical Indians since being accepted into this program. I take a step back and I allow them to tell a quick story.
I have never been interested in such strangers. What I have come to realize is that each little step that one takes contains a story. Where are they coming from, where are they going?
Do you realize how often beautiful moments exist outside our own judgements and thoughts? Have you ever looked at something in the present moment or out of pure curiosity?
Understanding there are millions of moments to sit back, observe, and listen make for infinite moments to gain something.
I was in the Redwoods pre-departure with other bridge year Fellows when I heard an Israeli tell his new friend where he was from. Another Fellow responded with a bright spirit, “You’re from Israel? I’m from Palestine!”
Boom. My heart exploded.
It was such a beautiful pure moment of humanity I will never forget. I was inspired by their coexistence, the pep in her step as she exclaimed she was from the country that is currently creating a modern-day Berlin wall.
She broke that wall down right then and there. I think all of mine came down too.
My heart exploded and my mind expanded. I could tell numerous more stories of inspiration, but the fact is that we do not have to travel across the world to find it. We do not need a new year to reinvent ourselves and take up a new mindset. What we could all use is a little spark of curiosity to see what the world would be like if we all just made a little change. A change in the way we see things. A tweak in those easy, immediate thoughts that plague our mind in every single thing we see. Those thoughts that are comfortable for our brain to jump to, instantly caving in our minds and dissolving the inspiration that lies in everything.
My mind continues to expand through the daily challenge of trying to see the good, finding inspiration when it is walking by, where it is rooted in the ground, or washing ashore. There is an abundance of opportunities all around to gain a little something. There is so much to gain. Everything around can provoke some kind of change within us; it’s growth. We grow when we change our perceptions. We grow when we allow others to teach us and when we allow ourselves to see the other side, even when our walls seem higher than our strength to break them down. We grow when we take the little steps everyday to see the world in a whole new light. Let’s feel the intoxication of exploring the stories that are all around us, overpowering the ignorance inside us all.
I am inspired. I have gained inspiration in the little stories I have seen and the ones I have heard. What I know is that this is going to provoke is a ripple effect of change. Having the ability to see the world with no preconceived notions makes it all the more vibrant, rewarding, and pure. A whole new definition of life has overcome me by what many see as a vicious cycle. I am here to tell you that if we all just stick our toes in the water, if we just have a little spark of curiosity, we will, this entire world, all realize what a difference, what a ripple we have made.
