What Inspires Me

            For as long as I can remember, I’ve been the type of person who finds inspiration in everything.  Whether it’s in songs, cities, or even textbooks, I seem to always find something that reminds me of how amazing the world truly is. 

            Day to day, that’s easy to forget though.  I sometimes find myself thinking, why am I doing all of this?  It usually doesn’t take long before something makes me remember.  That’s the thing though: inspiration isn’t something that people necessarily find when they search for it.  It’s something that just shows up at random times, sparking new ideas and creating different perspectives.  What really inspires me is people.  I’m especially inspired by all of the people I meet through volunteering.  Through different volunteer jobs, I meet all kinds of people.  Whether I meet them at a soup kitchen or an art gallery, there is one thing they all have in common: they have stories.  A lot of the people I meet turn out to be people that I only see once, but that doesn’t take any meaning away from how they’ve impacted me.  I remember a student’s painting of a skyline in an art class that I volunteered at.  I remember the kids who told me about their summer vacations as they handed in their reading logs.  I remember the retired people I met, and the stories they told me. 

Through these experiences, I remember why I remain dedicated to every commitment I make.  There’s a whole world out there.  A world out there full of stories waiting to be heard and dreams waiting to come true and chances waiting to be taken. 

There’s more to the world than this town and this chapter and this moment.

But there’s also more to this moment than some people see.  More than anything, my hope originates from my inspiration, but at the same time, my inspiration originates from my hope.  People inspire me, and I believe in them.   And in turn, those same people remind me to believe in myself. 

Why am I doing all of this?

To inspire the world,

because the world inspires me. 

- Paige