As the curtain dropped on 2015 and rose on 2016, I felt compelled to reflect on the highlights of the previous year and explore my heart’s desire for the new year.

The two standouts from last year were making time to hear live music regularly and my trip to Argentina.

Yes, I’m a fan of how a live musical performance has the power to put you in the moment. I also have a special appreciation for how developing tourist eyes make you take a fresh look at things.

These two things also invite you to find inspiration in the lives of others.

When traveling through Argentina, I was really struck by the artistry incorporated by so many people in the course of their everyday lives.

While in Buenos Aires, we took a lengthy crosstown bus ride from Recoleta (an area full of tony stores and hotels) to a funkier neighborhood to visit a soup kitchen.

The woman who founded the enterprise many years ago provides an evening meal to 250 people on most days – all without government funding or grants. She discovered ways to get food donations, find volunteers, and manage to maintain her own family life.

In La Consulta, in the western part of Argentina, we were served breakfast by Rosa. After raising her children and teaching dance in the small studio behind her house, she opened her home to travelers, feeding them homemade biscuits and marmalades. She has made a successful business from what she was drawn to do.

In San Telmo, near the Sunday Market on Defensa Street, I met Gladys Mabel Blanco, an incredible photographer. I bought several prints of bandoneons from her (a local version of accordion).

She might have a day job that supports her, but there’s no doubt that she thinks of herself as an artist. Her week’s not complete unless she packs up her matted prints and shows them under a white tarp in a public square on Sunday.

And, I sampled Diego Ponce’s artistry in many ways. A chef with a vision, he opened Apapacho (which roughly translates as “hug”), a restaurant and bar just outside the city of Mendoza.

The group I was traveling with enjoyed an incredible lunch there (topped off with a shot glass of mojito ice cream) and participated in a cooking class where we were taught the basics of empanada making.

We found out later that Diego caters for some of the nearby wineries, for tastings and events. He also helped develop the concept and menu for Cachita’s, a bar and eatery in Mendoza City.

All these people can serve as inspiration for me now.

I want to write (and I want to find an audience). I want to teach people what I’ve learned about gratitude in the course of keeping this blog. I want to be open to new relationships.

I always want to discover new ways I can express myself naturally and be of service.

I realize that the people I met in Argentina probably didn’t take direct routes to where they were when I saw them living out their dreams.

Maybe Rosa raised her family before taking on the mission of feeding her neighbors. Blanca probably took photographs for her own pleasure before mounting them and selling them to hang on other people’s walls. I’m sure Diego worked in other people’s kitchens before opening his own restobar.

Throughout Argentina, I saw many different types of artists. I also met people who made their lives their greatest work of art. Though not famous, they’ve certainly been inspirational to me.

Serving up the best you know how to do – one plate (or one post) at a time — is no small thing.