Are you an inspiration?

I have been struggling lately with what to write here.  Last night I did a lot of thinking about inspiration.  I have noticed a friend posting inspirational messages on Facebook and I looked at my friends in my lupus support group.  Then I went and looked back at Ben Breedlove's videos.  Next I decided to search YouTube for the word inspiration.  Then I remember the women in Egypt, refusing to be abused, standing strong.  Next I started thinking about the Occupy Wall Street protesters, this is where I feel like I just ran face first into a brick wall.  I started with someone wanting to become a better person, and to share that richness with others.  That is a great thing.  Next I am looking at a group of women and a few men who are fighting for their lives with smiles on their faces.  There are women I have met who can barely do anything anymore but smile and are grateful for what they have and won't complain because 'others are much worse' than them.  I'm sorry but that is the definition of inspiration to me, to have very little and to hold it close and be grateful and to then reach out a hand to others just because they need it, forgetting the fact that they need a hand and a hug as well just so that they can give joy to someone else.  Yes my Lupus friends astound me, but I will move on.
Ben Breedlove has inspired a lot of people to live their life fully and to be proud of who they are.  His last videos and those that were dedicated to him after his death are truly amazing.  I highly recommend that you watch them

Next were the women in Egypt who raise up against the brutal violence against women.  They cried "We have no fear" and said they would not be the voiceless ones.  All I can do is sit here and laugh, thinking, "Didn't anyone tell those idiots that the women are the deadlier and fiercest of almost all species?"  I'm right behind you women of Egypt!

My real problem comes when I get to some the OWS protesters.  I have looked at people who are standing up and fighting to be better and to help others in need and then I see these people who think that they should have the same things everybody else has no matter how little they have done to earn it.  Sadly, I am glad most of my grandparents aren't around to see people today wanting them to give the protesters what they worked hard their entire lives for.  They never got their money by demanding it from anyone else.  They put on their shoes in the morning and EARNED it.  If you need something, do something about it, not cry and wait for someone else to give it to you!

So here is my point. (yea I know it took me long enough, but here you go) Who inspires you? What inspires you? What do you do to inspire someone else?  And let me tell you, you do inspire someone else, even if you don't know it.  You never know what words will leave an imprint in someones heart, good or bad.  What can you do today that will leave a good mark in someone's life?  Even a simple smile and saying, "hey, I thought of you today" can mean a lot more than you would ever dream.  So why not reach out to just one person today and be a beacon of light in what might be the storm of their life.