People Inspire People - Living in Awe
I know every grandparent probably thinks their grandkids are amazing, and I am no exception. On a recent visit to Colorado, my grandson wanted me to “play ball game.” As I tossed him the ball, he swung his bat and sent the ball sailing several times. As I watched in amazement, I kept asking myself, Can other two-year-olds do this?
My ball handling skills have never been anything to brag about, so I’m pretty sure his skill level has nothing to do with my genetics. When I throw a football, it tumbles through the air end-over-end causing innocent bystanders to duck as the unpredictable ball comes within inches of their heads. When I was in 3rd grade, I had a brief stint on a girl’s softball team, watching the grass grow out in center field. When I took my obligatory turn at the plate, the opposing team chanted “easy out” and waited impatiently for my three strikes. I would have been a great candidate for the Bad News Bears.
But my grandson, he has skills. It doesn’t matter what direction he is facing — right, left or full-on center. Somehow while the ball is still in the air, he swings his bat and makes contact. I don’t see any t-ball in his future as I seriously doubt he will want to swing at a stationary ball sitting on top of a post. And it’s not just baseball. He likes all kinds of ball games including basketball, football, volleyball, golf and soccer. Did I mention, he is also an accomplished kicker — at two?
But, before you write me off as one more gloating grandmother, it’s not just my grandkids that are amazing. Human beings everywhere are killing it — writing books, making movies, building, growing, dreaming, loving, laughing, and dancing their way through life. They are breathing one breath at a time, not wasting a moment of their precious lives and unknowingly inspiring others along the way.
On my drive to and from Colorado, 15 hours each way, I listened to Dave Grohl read his book The Storyteller. Grohl is a well-known rock icon who famously played drums for the band that changed rock history, Nirvana. I was never a fan of the band. While they were making their mark in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, I was living the cowboy life, listening to Chris Ledoux and Don Williams. However, even though I wasn’t familiar with his music, I am a big fan of story and song, of which Grohl is a master. Several times, as I was listening to his stories, I found myself in awe thinking, “Do people know about this?” Like the time he played a full show after a fall from the stage that shattered his ankle early in the set. After a short break, he got back on stage, sat on a chair and finished the show, while a doctor kneeled in front of him and held his foot in place. Amazing.
As I continued on the highway, I listened to story after story, chapters filled with real life rock royalty, including Paul McCartney, Joan Jett, ACDC and many others. On the late night drive back to Missouri, after the book was finished, I listened to Grohl sing his songs with the band Foo Fighters.
I ended up back home a day early. Since snow was moving into the mountains, I decided to try and get ahead of the storm, which turned out to be a good decision. I originally had a gig on Tuesday with Mickey, but he arranged for a friend of ours to take my place to allow me time to get back — just in case the weather changed. I got home close to midnight on Monday. Although I was exhausted, I couldn’t sleep, and lay in bed awake for hours. The next morning, as I stared into my cup of coffee, Mickey said, “You’re on tonight.” Apparently our friend had come down sick overnight and couldn’t make it. Normally, in a situation like this I would have told myself a story about how tired I felt. But that story didn’t sit well with me because I had just listened to Grohl tell about the time he was on tour in Australia and flew 20 hours to get home in time to take his daughters to the Daddy/Daughter dance. Of course I could play, I’ll catch up on my sleep later. And you know what? That night, I didn’t feel tired at all. It was actually the opposite. The performance felt energizing and electric.
Other people’s stories and the ones we tell ourselves can be game-changers. Celebrating the lives of others, expands our own and helps us see a much bigger picture. I used to be shy about approaching the people I admired, becoming star-stuck and feeling unworthy and intimidated by their superstardom. But now I just want to tell them, “You are doing great. Thank you for inspiring me by living your life, being you.”
Whenever I’m in need of a little inspiration, all I have to do is look around. It’s everywhere — people, nature, our pets, our bodies, music, movies, and more, a treasure box of life, overflowing with inspiration.
