I find strength in the unexpected ways that inspiration comes to me. I have been employed by the Silver City Grant County Chamber since January 6, 2020, and the number of times that inspiration has presented herself to me, since then, are plentiful. I have met so many people who are unwavering in their commitment to the people of Grant County, people who are dedicated to caring for the environment we live in and those who have served our country with pride and distinction.

Inspiration is defined as, "the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative." We live and work in a hectic, fast-paced, world with tremendous amounts of pressure on us. Right now, I and my staff are hard at work pulling together our Independence Day Parade and Freedom Festival which will happen on Saturday, July 3, 2021, in Gough Park. The pressure to hold this event is significant and we are doing everything we can to make it happen successfully.

Our days are filled with strategic planning and thinking about what we want to see happen in our community today, tomorrow, over the next couple of weeks, or even months. We are working to help businesses grow and develop and we are looking well into the future when necessary. Did you know we have already booked our first statewide conference for the summer of 2022? We are so excited to announce it at the appropriate time.

I'm inspired when I'm sitting with a proud Vietnam veteran, a Marine, who looks back on his service with pride and boldly states, "I'd serve again if I could!" How could you not find that inspirational? We have friends in common, whom neither of us have seen for decades, and our mutual connection, is underscored when I realize that Mr. X probably worked with my dad at the Chino Mine in Hurley. I'm inspired to meet more people who have lived here over the decades who still envision the store fronts when they were new, and the paint was still fresh. Can you say that your childhood home became the Maxwell House?

I'm inspired by the small town in deep, Southwestern New Mexico, which looks, at first glance, like there are very few permanent residents, and the small business owner, whose eyes light up with excitement when I bring up the concept of Co-Starters, and gleefully mentions that "there are lots of people who want to start businesses here," and quickly volunteers the local library for a meeting.

Inspiration is fleeting, and my fast-paced lifestyle makes it difficult for me to recall the myriad of thoughts that spring to mind in an instant cornucopia of colorful ideas only to be instantly replaced with the details of a worn out to-do list of must dos. I find myself jotting notes to myself hoping to hang on to the lightning bolt of inspiration and praying I will remember it later. You understand that this is becoming more and more difficult because, although I can sing a song from 1981, word for word, from memory, I have a difficult time remembering why I walked into the room in which I'm standing.

Remember paragraph two, in the definition of "inspiration" where it referred to the "mental stimulation to do or feel something?" Inspirational moments come to us every single day, but the key isn't only what you do when inspiration hits; You must keep your mind relaxed, and open in order to recognize the inspiration when it comes into your awareness.

Grama Maria taught me to walk with my eyes open, with one eye on the horizon and one eye on the ground in front of me. I don't recall who taught me how to maintain a strong situational awareness, but it's something I've tried to teach my children. When you allow your mind to be open to inspiring ideas then you give yourself permission to be a witness to the wonders of our universe. Our worlds are full of inspiring moments, but we must remove the blinders that hinder our vision.

Send me a message at director@silvercity.org. Tell me who, or what, inspires you. Tell me how you keep your mind open to the possibilities. Or tell me that you want to enter a float in the 2021 Independence Day Parade or a vendor booth in the 2021 Freedom Festival at Gough Park. Either way, I'd like to hear from you.