Thank God for wonderful, incredible, influential people like Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, and even Martin Luther. They stood in them middle of the way and cried out for truth, even when people were purposely trying to run them over.

I try to follow them, bravely saying the things I believe I’m supposed to say, though obviously on a much, much smaller basis.

But there are others who change the world in a different way. They don’t stop everyone. They just stop the people who are willing to take the time and drink in their beauty.

I doubt Rachel Fagan will ever be doing much shouting in the middle of the way unless there’s a fire. But if you don’t stop to smell that flower by the side of the road, then you’re only partially living life. All work and no play, as they say, makes Jack stupid.

So, here’s a link to blogs from a couple of redheads, though that’s not why I’m linking to them. Hang around my blog too much, and while you’ll find hope, the diligent pursuit of “something more” can get tiring and oppressive after a while.

These here … these are fresh air. Take a deep breath, and be a little happier.

http://rachel-birdsong.blogspot.com/2011/04/my-encounter-12-miles-away.html

http://chloe-lifewithfreckles.blogspot.com/

Rachel’s just wonderful. What you read in that post above is how she is all the time. There’s hardly anyone like her. I don’t think there’s supposed to be. Just a few flowers like that planted, not for the rest of us to mimic–that’s impossible–but for the rest of us to be refilled with hope and joy and energy, to restore our color vision, and to keep us believing that life is good despite the hardships.

Chloe’s growing and paying attention. I linked to her blog, not a specific post, because no matter what day you’ll go there, you’ll find her learning in her own exuberant, right-brained way. (The right half of my brain is like a summer home. I really like it, but I don’t go there very often.)

“Paying attention” may not seem to fit into the last paragraph, but not everyone is paying attention, so they waste a lot of life’s lessons that come their way. I put “growing” in front of “paying attention,” but, really, that’s backwards. She’s growing because she’s paying attention.

There’s a lot of life that just happens, but the rest of your life will be much better if you pay attention through the boring bits so that you’re still paying attention when the lessons come.

Still don’t know what I mean? Follow Chloe’s blog.

Image by Chloe, used without permission :-D.