Inspiration and Heroes

Blue Ridge Butterfly

What got me started thinking about inspiration and heroes happened over the past weekend. In just one short weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting and being in the company of a number of impressive people in a beautiful part of the country. It was refreshing and, without question, inspiring. More about the weekend later, but first a few words about some people who inspire me and why I think of these as people as heroes.

As defined by Merriam Webster, inspiration is the act or power of moving the intellect or emotions. A hero, according to another source might be someone who exhibits any or all of the following traits: courage, honesty, selflessness, bravery and the will to try.

Pat

One of my first heroes was my sister, Pat, or Patsy as we called her in childhood. She selflessly took me under her wing when we were young and has been my constant supporter since. She was a passionate and courageous soldier on the front lines of the women’s rights movement. Despite personal tragedies that might have overwhelmed any of us, she endures.  She invests in her beliefs, including donating time, labor and money to community service.  She is fearless in pursuit of the rights of others, a champion of those who cannot speak for themselves, an animal lover who doesn't just rely on words, but takes action.  She is a good neighbor, a loyal friend and someone who is respected, even by those who disagree with her.  I have admired her from childhood and know how fortunate I am that she's my sister.

Willie Mae

I see the face of my mother-in-law, Willie Mae, when I think of someone whose selfless service to others comes to mind. She is a person who always finds a way to help others, caring for those who need her assistance, whether it’s a ride to the doctor or grocery store or even managing their households when they have no family nearby. She is famous for her chocolate cakes and many hurts have been soothed by not just her sweets, but her sweet concern in times of trouble.  Stoic in the face of illnesses, she treats any personal challenge as a minor setback.  Her time is taken up with thoughts of others.  She has a boundless capacity for love, doesn’t know a stranger and has been relied on by family, friends, church and workplaces through a long and productive life. Many might call themselves Christian, but it is more than words to her.  She lives out her beliefs faithfully. 

There are, of course, so many I’ve been lucky enough to know. My brother-in-law, George, faced cancer with courage, his spirit never truly defeated by a vicious illness that took his life. There’s my friend Elaine’s husband, Tony, also a warrior in the fight against cancer, who spent his last months on earth preparing those who loved him for the time when he would not be there in person. These two men used every last breaths of their lives demonstrating courage and love. Their will to keep trying, to keep living as fully as possible all the way through, is a legacy that inspires all who knew them.

In this trying time when there is much around us that is discouraging, many voices spewing pessimism and distrust, even hatred, it is good to reflect on that which inspires us to a higher plane. There are so many stories of people who find the beauty in life and fight for that, so many incidences of passion and courage and hope. And that takes me back to the weekend where my musings about inspiration and heroes began.

Blowing Rock Lake

The locations for our weekend experience were near Blowing Rock, NC, and along the route between that special aerie on the Blue Ridge and Charlotte. Saturday was fogged in until late in the day and our Audubon group wandered through the gentle rain sheltered by the overhang of maple trees. Leading the “birders” was the Audubon North Carolina’s inspiring Curtis Smalling, a man who knows more about birds than many of us know about ourselves, knowledge he delights in sharing with others. I don’t aspire to know birds just by their calls, but I’m motivated by Curtis’s passion and will hear those calls with greater joy because of it.

So we heard a lot about what his study of sapsuckers has taught him. His storytelling ability is mesmerizing and we got not only lots of great bird lore, but a history lesson from Curtis about the Moses Cone National Park. Even in the fog, it’s an extraordinary place, originally designed to be the mountain estate of North Carolina’s “Denim King.” Now the park, left to the nation by Cone’s widow, Bertha, provides paths enjoyed by runners, walkers, birders, horseback riders, dog-lovers and all comers in a wooded setting where hydrangea bushes abound around a lake.

Situated on the brow of Flat Top Mountain, the Cone mansion now houses the art of the Southern Highlands Craft Guild. The home’s gracious rooms are filled with paintings and pottery, books and wood crafts, music, quilted pieces and blown and stained glass. I found myself circling through the rooms again and again, fascinated and moved by the many ways in which people express their creativity. I left having purchased just one book, a history of the estate, and the determination that I will be there again soon. There is nothing more inspiring to me than being in the presence of creativity.

During the weekend we saw presentations from several Audubon staffers, one joining us from Vermont to share some of that state’s conservation successes. These are people with passion, not just for birds, but for the environment we share with birds. These are people who have found the work that illumines their lives, and challenges they meet with joy and excitement. They motivate those of us who share their concerns to do what we can to make a difference.

On our way back to Charlotte we stopped at a restaurant for lunch and our server, Olivia, shared her story. When I asked if people often comment on her beautiful eyes, she said they do sometimes, but that personal compliments are very much appreciated because of what she has been through in recent times.

The mother of two children, she was laid off from her job in the furniture business in recent times and decided to seize the opportunity by going to college while working, earning two degrees. At the same time, she lost 114 pounds by diligently exercising and changing her eating habits. She painted a wonderful picture of setting up a cross-country skiing machine in her small living room so that she could work out. “It’s pretty gaudy,” she said, “and takes up too much room in our little house, but it’s helped me accomplish my goals.”

Her achievements and her pride in finding success were truly an inspiration. We’re all experiencing the impact of difficult economic times. She has turned a negative into a positive. She likes her work and her boss told me that he relies on her to train other staff members. We finished our conversation with Olivia sharing a long-term dream to build a home “smack in the middle” of five acres in the country that her family has passed down to her through three generations. If I never see her again, I will think of her when I take my walks these cool mornings and I’ll go a little farther for Olivia.

Fall Leaves

I’ll remember for a long time the hours spent this weekend on the Blue Ridge Parkway itself, built 75 years ago by people who carved the “roadway in the sky” across formidable mountaintops. They built bridges, viaducts, tunnels and the roadway itself and their legacy remains one of the wonders of our country. I never travel the Parkway without feeling such gratitude for those who had the idea and those who brought that idea to fruition. There is inspiration all along its stone-bordered miles.

So I find myself, once again, as I do so often these days, feeling such gratitude for the opportunities that come my way. I am grateful, too, for all those I meet who encourage me to keep learning, keep exploring and living my life with purpose and happiness. They are my heroes and they inspire me.

Most photos by Mike Lumpkin