Stars That Can Laugh: How to Find Moments of Inspiration

One of my favorite quotes involves stars that can laugh. It comes from the Little Prince and over the years I’ve read the story more times than I can count, shared it on a few occasions, listened to it on an LP, and watched the different movies. 

Always, there are lessons from the Little Prince.

Hope. Love. Sacrifice. 

The Inspiration of Laughing Stars

When my mom died ten years ago, I held tight to the laughing stars. Each night, I would walk out onto the deck to stare up at the clear night sky. Out there, in the woods, the stars danced and laughed and brought me peace.

I had forgotten all about holding on to stars that can laugh. The last two years have put us in a location where the light noise blocks out the laughing stars. I hadn’t thought about it until someone reminded me of the quote.

“In one of the stars I will be living. In one of the stars I will be laughing. So when you look up at the stars at night, you and only you will have stars that can laugh.”

The stars are still there, only I can’t see them for all the noise. How often does that hold true for so many aspects of my journey? The blessings are there, but I can’t see them for the burdens. The hope is there, but I can’t see it for the discouragement. The possibilities are there, but I can’t see them for the problems. The light is there, but I can’t see it for the darkness.

I forgot how much peace and calm the night sky would bring to my heart mainly because I could no longer see that sky. The inspiration I held in a glance I now have to seek in other forms.

But it’s there. I just have to be willing to look for new inspiration the same way I would always seek out my laughing stars.

Finding Inspiration Beyond the Laughing Stars

There is inspiration in the lights on the water. 

One of the tradeoffs of having no light noise is that we had no light reflections on the water. I may not be able to indulge in the night sky views, but the light dancing on the water is an inspiration all its own.

There is inspiration in the wildlife.

Instead of the squirrels and finches that had become the normal call of my day, it’s now ospreys and eagles. The inspiration is different than what I had come to expect, but awe-inspiring nonetheless.

There is inspiration in the people.

People are new to my daily routine. Out in the woods, the only people encountered were the ones we had over. Around here, there are people coming and going at every moment of the day. Inspiration can be found in their actions, their words, and sometimes their antics. 

I miss our home. I miss being able to sit on the deck and listen to the multitude of birds chattering. I miss rocking on the back porch watching the squirrels plan and the woodpecker clearing a hole. I miss the hummingbird moths dancing around the butterfly bushes. I miss the hummingbird who showed up every year knocking on my window to let me know to set out his feeder. I miss the leaves falling and the flowers blooming and the honey bees buzzing all over the front bush.

And when I meditate on all that is missed, it hurts my heart beyond words. Even with the rebuild, we will never go back to those moments. They are all now part of my night sky, each memory its own laughing star. 

Ultimately, that’s what is required to find moments of inspiration. You have to be willing to see beyond the miss moments and find your laughing stars.

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