This is a true story of an experience I had last year. I am still inspired to look for inspiration in the most unexpected places. Hopefully this story inspires you to look beyond the ordinary in your life as well.
I have a vase with a bunch of flowers sitting on my desk at work. There are crocuses, pansies, carnations, and Gerber daisies. It’s the last one mentioned that catches my eye, as it is a reminder of how a pink Gerber daisy was able to reinforce my dream of writing about what I love and making a living at it.
I am a spiritual person by nature, a little more “to the left” than many, but still acceptable to the general public. As a huge reader, I’m always seeking ways to explore and grow my own spirituality. In my reading, I heard of a way to have God tell you “yes” or “no” to what your current concern or question was. I decided to give it a try. To be honest, I can’t remember what I asked for confirmation on, but I remember asking that my sign for “yes” be a pink Gerber daisy. You see, I really like Gerber daisies, but I never really considered myself a pink person. I knew that if a pink Gerber daisy stood out for me that would be out of the ordinary and a big deal to me. I gave God a deadline of twenty-four hours to see this “sign.” Of course, I knew there weren’t any pink Gerber daisies at home so I had to go out to see my sign. I went out to the grocery store and a few other places. I think that first time I forced it too much because if I saw a pink Gerber daisy, it was likely because I walked right over to the flower display at the store!
I tried it at least twice more, likely for something I thought important at the time, but for the life of me I can’t remember what it was. I must not have received the answer I was looking for because I forgot about pink Gerber daisies for a while.
A couple months later, I was at my parents’ home in Michigan for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and with everyone doing their own thing for a time, I decided to do some reading. I had a book of short stories about animals and their owners and while reading, found that my heart stretched with each inspirational story that I read. Not just because I love animals, but because I was able to feel tangible love in the words that were on each page.
As I was reading the animal stories I realized that I wanted to inspire others, so that their hearts would stretch and grow as well. I have always enjoyed writing, could I write inspirational stories too? I have always enjoyed writing and was even one of those people who enjoyed the essay section of tests in high school and college. It has been just the last couple years that I have seriously considered using that skill for a living. I just hadn’t known how to do that or what to write about.
I do believe that when our hearts are full, we feel complete and when we feel complete we are more likely to share that joy of completion with others. And the cycle continues on and on, hopefully. I believe that most people understand the power of being inspired, otherwise there would not be long running series on television such as “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”
A couple hours later I finished reading my book and decided to go out and do some shopping before meeting my mom for dinner. On a whim, I decided to browse one of my favorite craft stores. I took my time, wistfully looking at crafts that I wished I had time to put together and in my wanderings, even found a Christmas gift for one of my nieces. While I was in the back of the store, I decided to take a look at their unframed pictures. I’ve always wanted to have a brightly painted office with many beautiful pictures, so in this dreaming frame of mind I was browsing through the various displays.
