Toni Reece: Hi there. This is Toni Reece, and welcome to the Get Inspired! Project for Berks County Living magazine. Today I have Heidi Reuter with me. Hi, Heidi.
Heidi Reuter: Hi, Toni.
Toni: How are you?
Heidi: I’m pretty good.
Toni: Are you pretty good?
Heidi: Yes, I think so.
Toni: Alright! So, Heidi, take a moment and tell us a little bit about yourself.
Heidi: Okay. I was born in Wyomissing, grew up here, went to school in Allentown at Muhlenberg College. I spent some time in England for my Masters. I came back to Reading and thought I should probably do something with that Masters, so I started my business, which is Heidi E. Reuter Photography, and I also have a studio down at the Goggleworks.
Toni: Fantastic!
Heidi: So I’m down there, and then I also teach at a couple universities. I’m at Alvernia, Penn State Berks, and then I head up to Allentown a couple times a week to teach photography.
Toni: You’re a busy lady!
Heidi: Like “Flight of the Bumble Bee.”
Toni: That’s great. Let’s get into the Project.
Heidi: Sure.
Toni: What does inspiration mean to you?
Heidi: I was thinking about the questions last night. I was trying to come up with something really profound, but then I just thought of a really simple answer. I really find inspiration and thinking about inspiration in appreciating and reflecting and recognizing the ordinary selfless people in your life. You don’t really need to be a world leader to be inspiring to other people.
Toni: What about those types of people inspire you?
Heidi: I think their simple, everyday, mundane parts of life. You see people struggling, and you can get inspired by how well they’re doing. I have friends that have been through really bad things in their life, but yet still pick themselves up, and it’s inspiring just to see how they keep going. I have family members and just people that I have come in contact with that they’re not doing anything crazy – they’re not out saving the world or they’re not the President, but yet they are able to inspire me through their simple day-to-day activities.
Toni: What does that feel like for you when you are inspired and you see someone with some sort of action?
Heidi: I think it inspires me to keep going. I listened to a friend last night tell a story about her 2015. She said it was the worst year of her life. At the end she circled back and said, “But you know what? At the end of the year I reflected on everything that happened to me, and there were some really good things about it.”
I sat there and said, “How did you get up every day when you just kept getting pushed and pushed and pushed back down in the ground?”
She said, “I just did it. I just knew I had to keep going.”
That is incredible. It’s just simple people. These people aren’t again, saving the world, but they’re just going along with day-to-day activities.
Toni: And boy, can we learn from them.
Heidi: Totally. For sure.
Toni: So you’re inspired by the people that you see do this, that get up and keep going.
Heidi: Yes.
Toni: So when you become inspired or you have been inspired, how do you put that into practice here in Berks County?
Heidi: I think it’s just recognizing it in yourself. Just recognizing that you can inspire other people just by your simple day-to-day activities, whether it’s just saying “hi” to someone or being kind to someone that you normally might just walk by. Seeing other people go through their struggles in their life, I reflect on my day and say, “You know, my life is not that bad. I can pull myself up and keep going, and hopefully inspire other people with what I’m doing.” Just simple things.
Toni: It sounds like it’s a bit of a perspective that it brings to you.
Heidi: Yes, I think so. I think it’s perspective. There’s definitely specific people in my life that I can look at and be like, “Whoa! You are incredible!”
Toni: Does it impact your work?
Heidi: I think so, for sure. With me, if someone asks me to do something I’ll say “yes” without even stopping to think about my schedule. That’s why I’m all over the place. I’m inspired by seeing people work hard, so I want to work hard. I feed off of other people. If I see people working hard, then I’m inspired to work hard or help someone or do something or volunteer or go somewhere.
Toni: So it really lifts up your perspective and lifts up your motivation.
Heidi: For sure.
Toni: Okay; and it helps put things in an attitude shift kind of a thing.
Heidi: Yes. ‘Attitude shift’ is a great way to put it, because you can either walk through the day and just sort of be down and out on yourself, or you can take things that have happened to you in your life and feed off of that.
Toni: Inspiration can be very fleeting, so it sounds from your perspective that you are inspired and you need to remember that that person who went through this inspired you – their resiliency, their ability to get back up. You remember being inspired by them and put that into action.
Heidi: Yes, absolutely. Reflecting on the last year-and-a-half, my mom was very ill. Seeing her being poked and prodded and x-rayed and everything, I said, “Wow. You’re incredible.” She just kept going. Thankfully, she’s recovering today, but just to see everything that happened to her. “Wow. You sat in a hospital for almost four months. I can get up and go to work today. I can do that.”
I watched my brother get married and not be able to have my mom there at the wedding. She was in the hospital. He was just so loving and thankful that she was able to watch it through – this is technology here – Facetime. Just seeing other people be struggling or having bad things happen in their life, but still go on.
Toni: Right. They create options and opportunities.
Heidi: Yes. I think it is an option. I mean, you can either feel bad for yourself or you can just be inspired by other people and keep going.
Toni: So I think you might have partially answered this question. Who in Berks County inspires you?
Heidi: Definitely my mother, watching her in the last year-and-a-half. I was actually at a women’s group last night for my church, and I listened to one of my friends give a story about her year, and at the end of it I thought, “Wow.”
I told her, “I’m getting interviewed tomorrow and I’m struggling with these questions.”
She said, “What? I inspire you?”
I said, “No, you really do. Just listening to your story was incredible.”
She’s one of my really good friends, but yet I didn’t know most of the stuff that was happening to her, and just seeing her be positive and being the person that you can lean on and go to when you’re struggling – she was just so positive.
My other brother finishing his Ph.D. Good things happening to people makes you realize that you don’t have to be this world leader to be inspiring to others.
Toni: No, you don’t. You really don’t. How awesome that you got to tell your friend that she inspires you.
Heidi: I know. She was kind of joking. I said, “No, I’m serious. You really are an inspiration. You really are, just listening to everything.” She is the type of person that if you’re struggling or you need something, she’s there to listen. I think that’s a big part, just listening to people’s stories.
Toni: What do you want your legacy to be?
Heidi: I thought about this. What do I want my legacy to be? I don’t want it to be, “She took school pictures,” or, “She’s a photographer. That’s so cool.” I think I just want people to remember me as a person that listened to people’s stories, that helped people. If someone is down and out or struggling, just listening. I just want to be someone that is remembered as being a good friend and being a good person. Nothing extraordinary. I don’t need to go out and save the world.
Toni: Well, those are the people that inspire you anyway, aren’t they?
Heidi: Right.
Toni: Exactly.
Heidi: Right. It’s the simple, mundane things in life that inspire me.
Toni: Well, we live our legacy, and it sounds as though you are living yours and inspired by others.
Heidi: Yes.
Toni: Thank you so very much for showing up for the Get Inspired! Project.
Heidi: You’re very welcome. Thank you.
Toni Reece: Hi there. This is Toni Reece, and welcome to the Get Inspired! Project for Berks County Living magazine. Today I have Heidi Reuter with me. Hi, Heidi.
Heidi Reuter: Hi, Toni.
Toni: How are you?
Heidi: I’m pretty good.
Toni: Are you pretty good?
Heidi: Yes, I think so.
Toni: Alright! So, Heidi, take a moment and tell us a little bit about yourself.
Heidi: Okay. I was born in Wyomissing, grew up here, went to school in Allentown at Muhlenberg College. I spent some time in England for my Masters. I came back to Reading and thought I should probably do something with that Masters, so I started my business, which is Heidi E. Reuter Photography, and I also have a studio down at the Goggleworks.
Toni: Fantastic!
Heidi: So I’m down there, and then I also teach at a couple universities. I’m at Alvernia, Penn State Berks, and then I head up to Allentown a couple times a week to teach photography.
Toni: You’re a busy lady!
Heidi: Like “Flight of the Bumble Bee.”
Toni: That’s great. Let’s get into the Project.
Heidi: Sure.
Toni: What does inspiration mean to you?
Heidi: I was thinking about the questions last night. I was trying to come up with something really profound, but then I just thought of a really simple answer. I really find inspiration and thinking about inspiration in appreciating and reflecting and recognizing the ordinary selfless people in your life. You don’t really need to be a world leader to be inspiring to other people.
Toni: What about those types of people inspire you?
Heidi: I think their simple, everyday, mundane parts of life. You see people struggling, and you can get inspired by how well they’re doing. I have friends that have been through really bad things in their life, but yet still pick themselves up, and it’s inspiring just to see how they keep going. I have family members and just people that I have come in contact with that they’re not doing anything crazy – they’re not out saving the world or they’re not the President, but yet they are able to inspire me through their simple day-to-day activities.
Toni: What does that feel like for you when you are inspired and you see someone with some sort of action?
Heidi: I think it inspires me to keep going. I listened to a friend last night tell a story about her 2015. She said it was the worst year of her life. At the end she circled back and said, “But you know what? At the end of the year I reflected on everything that happened to me, and there were some really good things about it.”
I sat there and said, “How did you get up every day when you just kept getting pushed and pushed and pushed back down in the ground?”
She said, “I just did it. I just knew I had to keep going.”
That is incredible. It’s just simple people. These people aren’t again, saving the world, but they’re just going along with day-to-day activities.
Toni: And boy, can we learn from them.
Heidi: Totally. For sure.
Toni: So you’re inspired by the people that you see do this, that get up and keep going.
Heidi: Yes.
Toni: So when you become inspired or you have been inspired, how do you put that into practice here in Berks County?
Heidi: I think it’s just recognizing it in yourself. Just recognizing that you can inspire other people just by your simple day-to-day activities, whether it’s just saying “hi” to someone or being kind to someone that you normally might just walk by. Seeing other people go through their struggles in their life, I reflect on my day and say, “You know, my life is not that bad. I can pull myself up and keep going, and hopefully inspire other people with what I’m doing.” Just simple things.
Toni: It sounds like it’s a bit of a perspective that it brings to you.
Heidi: Yes, I think so. I think it’s perspective. There’s definitely specific people in my life that I can look at and be like, “Whoa! You are incredible!”
Toni: Does it impact your work?
Heidi: I think so, for sure. With me, if someone asks me to do something I’ll say “yes” without even stopping to think about my schedule. That’s why I’m all over the place. I’m inspired by seeing people work hard, so I want to work hard. I feed off of other people. If I see people working hard, then I’m inspired to work hard or help someone or do something or volunteer or go somewhere.
Toni: So it really lifts up your perspective and lifts up your motivation.
Heidi: For sure.
Toni: Okay; and it helps put things in an attitude shift kind of a thing.
Heidi: Yes. ‘Attitude shift’ is a great way to put it, because you can either walk through the day and just sort of be down and out on yourself, or you can take things that have happened to you in your life and feed off of that.
Toni: Inspiration can be very fleeting, so it sounds from your perspective that you are inspired and you need to remember that that person who went through this inspired you – their resiliency, their ability to get back up. You remember being inspired by them and put that into action.
Heidi: Yes, absolutely. Reflecting on the last year-and-a-half, my mom was very ill. Seeing her being poked and prodded and x-rayed and everything, I said, “Wow. You’re incredible.” She just kept going. Thankfully, she’s recovering today, but just to see everything that happened to her. “Wow. You sat in a hospital for almost four months. I can get up and go to work today. I can do that.”
I watched my brother get married and not be able to have my mom there at the wedding. She was in the hospital. He was just so loving and thankful that she was able to watch it through – this is technology here – Facetime. Just seeing other people be struggling or having bad things happen in their life, but still go on.
Toni: Right. They create options and opportunities.
Heidi: Yes. I think it is an option. I mean, you can either feel bad for yourself or you can just be inspired by other people and keep going.
Toni: So I think you might have partially answered this question. Who in Berks County inspires you?
Heidi: Definitely my mother, watching her in the last year-and-a-half. I was actually at a women’s group last night for my church, and I listened to one of my friends give a story about her year, and at the end of it I thought, “Wow.”
I told her, “I’m getting interviewed tomorrow and I’m struggling with these questions.”
She said, “What? I inspire you?”
I said, “No, you really do. Just listening to your story was incredible.”
She’s one of my really good friends, but yet I didn’t know most of the stuff that was happening to her, and just seeing her be positive and being the person that you can lean on and go to when you’re struggling – she was just so positive.
My other brother finishing his Ph.D. Good things happening to people makes you realize that you don’t have to be this world leader to be inspiring to others.
Toni: No, you don’t. You really don’t. How awesome that you got to tell your friend that she inspires you.
Heidi: I know. She was kind of joking. I said, “No, I’m serious. You really are an inspiration. You really are, just listening to everything.” She is the type of person that if you’re struggling or you need something, she’s there to listen. I think that’s a big part, just listening to people’s stories.
Toni: What do you want your legacy to be?
Heidi: I thought about this. What do I want my legacy to be? I don’t want it to be, “She took school pictures,” or, “She’s a photographer. That’s so cool.” I think I just want people to remember me as a person that listened to people’s stories, that helped people. If someone is down and out or struggling, just listening. I just want to be someone that is remembered as being a good friend and being a good person. Nothing extraordinary. I don’t need to go out and save the world.
Toni: Well, those are the people that inspire you anyway, aren’t they?
Heidi: Right.
Toni: Exactly.
Heidi: Right. It’s the simple, mundane things in life that inspire me.
Toni: Well, we live our legacy, and it sounds as though you are living yours and inspired by others.
Heidi: Yes.
Toni: Thank you so very much for showing up for the Get Inspired! Project.
Heidi: You’re very welcome. Thank you.
