Lately I have been doing some longer distance driving. Much of my time seems to be spent on the NJ Turnpike. Like most travelers, pit stops for me are meant to be treated almost as quickly as a real pit crew: pull in, do what you need to do and get back on the road. As quickly as possible. No dawdling.

So, it always surprises me and gives me pause when I find something unexpected. Such was the case with the above quotation outside the restrooms at a newly renovated rest stop. How nice to think that the NJ turnpike authority is inspiring travelers. Who says NJ isn’t inspirational?!

What about you? Have you run into something that gives you pause? That has you thinking? Have you ever found something unexpected? Like a flower growing in a crack in the sidewalk? Or a nugget of truth in an outlandish scenario?

Nearby my one sister is a state park. On one side of the park there are steep rocky banks with little to no dirt or ground cover. What is always amazing to me is to see trees forcing their way through the cracks in the rocks, seemingly not rooted into any terrafirma. How can they grow? Where is the stability? How can they receive and distribute nutrients without a grounded root system?

Nature always has a way of inspiring me.

On a recent dog walk I came across some trees that from the striations on the bark must have had a vine deeply imbedded on its trunk. Somehow the vine died and fell, leaving deep cuts into the tree. Usually vines are the kiss of death for trees. However this tree seems to have survived and continues to grow. It is even crooked, bending towards the light.

What tenacity and innate desire to live! Makes me wonder if I would be so tenacious under trying conditions?

What are some inspirational vignettes, quotes or stories that have resonated with you? Where do you draw your inspiration?

Recently I found this quote. It has been inspiring me to be who God has made me:

“You are born an original.

Don’t die a copy.”