Stealing sunshine and Valentine’s week

There are people in life who are meant to inspire us. Parents, mentors, older siblings. Then, there are people who quietly inspire us, without meaning to, but they influence our behaviour or attitude. The guy who thanks the bus driver before he gets off, or the girl who asks questions in class even when people at the back laugh. And then, there are people who are both. People we’ve warmed towards, and didn’t expect to be inspired by, but we are. Friends who make us want to be better, neighbours who make us want to be softer in the mornings, and colleagues we associate with who make us want to work harder or happier. 

When someone inspires and makes you feel good at the same time, something changes in you. When one day, you wake up, and suddenly in your mind you know that you want to be atleast 1 percent like them. To steal a little bit of their sunshine. 

I have only met 2 people like this in my life. 

I am someone who measures success based on how fulfilling your life is based on what your morals and needs are, and how much you impact the lives of others. And both times, I knew these people were going to achieve some part of my version of success, and maybe that is why they inspired me.

The first time was with my bench partner in highschool. She wasn’t great with academics, but she was crafty, creative as hell, and had an impressive amount of general knowledge. She’d fix my fountain pen every time it broke, and I’m pretty sure she knew more outside of the syllabus than any of us knew because of the syllabus itself. But what really stuck with me was how she was a great leader. She was never a part of the student council or anything, but she was kind, inclusive. Always suggesting something that made sure nobody, even people outside the friend group, felt left out. I knew she was going to impact lives when we were older because she cared, and because she truly is smart enough to do something with it.

The second time was with a guy at my gym. We both joined at the same time, but he was more consistent. He was going 3 times a week, even with a busier schedule than me. He didn’t have the gains to show for it, but after a few months, he was lifting weights a bit heavier than mine. Even before that, he was always trying to rep a couple extra. I don’t think I’d ever met someone as uniquely inclined. He struggled with procrastination and stress because of the difficult course he chose though. His grades were crashing all over, but he was still hurrying home to study anyway. He was barely on any socials. And something odd he’d say that stuck with me is ‘you don’t always have to be listening to music’. Because it interrupted an unconscious pattern in my brain. I wanted to be like him.

I know he’s going to be successful. I don’t see a character like his leading a life that he doesn’t find fulfilling. Nor do I see him not impacting anyone, especially since he’s already unknowingly impacted me to be more like him. Quietly consistent, trying to be disciplined, and less distracted. Although, if he ever found out I’m writing this article about him, he would totally chastise me for it. 

These are the people who are really unforgettable. Because I believe, when you find someone who is not only warmth to you, but also a snippet of the person you want to be, you find someone who changes you. Who makes you want to be better. This valentine’s week, let’s celebrate the people who we don’t just love, but those we love who inspire us to be more like them. To steal a little bit of their sunshine and give it back to the world tenfold the way they do.