Cabinet Inspiration

today, i accompanied jinah alongside with jason to her recently purchased condo just a tad north of seattle. the place was huge, but that's not what this journal entry is about. the timing couldn't have been any better. turns out she's now presented with a pretty amazing opportunity to remodel her entire kitchen due to a water leak that hasn't been taken care of behind the wall. everything needed to be replaced essentially. as a result, she's been allocated a generous budget to renovate the entire kitchen with replacement fixtures, cabinets, flooring, etc. amazing, if you ask me. so one of the things we did today was go shopping for new kitchen cabinets. oh boy, here we go.

at the place where she picked out cabinets, it was initially a woman named Nancy that was assisting. a bit later on, she was replaced by, Paul, the floor manager for 10+ years. i never met a man more knowledgeable about cabinets. my first impression was he's super friendly, quick, intelligent, extremely thorough, and passionate. although i hadn't met many people in the cabinet or lumber business, my feelings of him wouldn't be any different. my thought process went something like this:

"this guy really knows what he's talking about."

"i wonder how can he retain so much knowledge about cabinets and wood."
"his attention to detail is awesome."

"i love that he provides incredibly detailed reasons to support his personal conclusions around cabinets and wood."
• "i love that he lays down context through history, knowing that it's a key component to understanding the current choices we have today."
  
• "i'm learning so much just from hearing him speak. i kinda don't want him to stop."
"damn, this guy really knows what he's talking about."
"this is his passion, and it's inspiring."

i'm always in search for inspiration, and i talk a lot about how i love meeting passionate people. it's like i can absorb some of their passion when around them, which in turn translates into inspiration. i become inspired to find my own passion. my mind starts to daydream of the one hopeful day when i discover what that is and embrace it. then i can be a source of inspiration to others in the same way it is to me. like chasing a pot of gold sitting at the end of a rainbow, i realize this day may never come, but a boy can still dream.

it's funny. i seek inspiration, and it's passion that inspires me, even when that passion is exhibited by other people. i like that i can feel inspired in the most unexpected settings by the most unexpected people. a cabinet/wood specialist who's been in the business for over 20+ years is not someone i'd ever have thought to be inspired by, but i was. it's days like these that make me feel special, like i have a very unique perspective on life. sometimes i daydream about having superhuman abilities, like i can see things that other people can't, and some days i believe that more than others. today, i felt that i was appreciating a simple beauty in life. life is usually transformed based on what i make of it. the mind is such a powerful tool, and lately i've been learning how to utilize mine better and better.

so thank you, friendly kitchen cabinet/wood specialist floor manager guy. you've inspired me without even being aware of it, which inevitably happens to be my favorite kind of inspiration.