Our neighborhood added an exciting new amenity this week. I was surprised when I saw it as it wasn’t mentioned in any of our typical neighborhood communications.
It is a path, roughly one-mile long, that loops through our subdivision called “Inspiration Trail”. The “trail markers” are comprised of inspirational messages neatly spelled out on the sidewalk in brightly colored chalk.
As it turns out, Inspiration Trail was created by a couple of young girls who live in the area. Amy and Mairin, if I read the chalk byline correctly. And, I will admit that I was truly inspired by the messages that they left. Phrases such as, “You are the light”, “Don’t give up” and “Have faith” are just a few of the sentiments scrawled out in large yellow, blue and pink letters often accompanied by a smiling face or shining sun.
I remember, as a child growing up in the ’70s, wanting to save the whales, stop pollution, and prevent forest fires. These were just a few of the issues being raised at the time. As a child, I couldn’t understand why we didn’t just do what we needed to do to solve the problems. It seemed simple enough to me.
Children naturally want to help. They don’t see problems without solutions, and nothing is unattainable. And even though, as adults, we know that nothing is ever that easy, we could certainly take a cue from kids who only see answers in times of uncertainty.
Currently, many of us are under “stay at home” orders that may cause us to feel isolated from our friends and families. Considering this, one of the best things we can do right now is to offer inspiration to each other. Encouraging words of hope are a lifeline when we feel secluded and cut-off from society.
Dr. Orison Swett Marden, an American inspirational author, said, “There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something tomorrow.”
Mairin and Amy put it a little simpler, they said, “Never lose hope, good things will come soon.”
No matter how it’s said, however, I think they all are on the trail of something truly inspirational.
