You never know where inspiration will come from.

We talk about that a lot on my podcast, usually in terms of ways we can help others, create connections and build community. We also talk about how being inspired depends on being open: open to new ideas, new experiences and listening to someone’s story.

It’s in that openness that inspiration takes hold.

I find that sentiment repeating in my head as I sit here, poised over my laptop, clacking away at the keys and bringing this column to life.

 I hadn’t planned on finding inspiration for this column at Rollier’s, where my dog, Hazel, and I had stopped for her complimentary treats.. (Dog owners of Lebo, you know what I’m talking about.)

Yinz may remember Hazel from my first column back in February, when I shared how she played a huge part in connecting us with neighbors who would become like family.

Well, here she is again, in the middle of another streetside connection.

Set up just outside the doors were two tables adorned with signs reading “Mt. Lebanon Aqua Club,” “Free Hot Apple Cider” and “Cash and Meat Raffle.”

My interest was piqued by the signs alone, but it was the girls sitting behind the cider table, giggling and kindly asking passersby if they wanted free hot apple cider, that made me pause.

Maybe it was their joy, maybe it was the promise of cider on a fall day, or maybe it was because I saw myself and my childhood best friend in them. (I’m pretty sure it was all three, heavy on the latter.)

Whatever the reason, I stopped cold, much to Hazel’s chagrin.

I was … inspired.

Before I knew it, I was standing at the raffle table, chatting with the girls’ moms as Hazel tugged impatiently on the leash. I asked if I could interview the girls about their friendship, other friendships they’ve formed through the Aqua Club. and why being part of the club is special to them.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention that seeing a sign for the Aqua Club reminded me of my niece, Rebecca, who swam with the club from third through 12th grades.

Glimpses of her meets flashed through my mind, as well as the hilarity of her mom and me trying to figure out just how one is supposed to cheer during a swim meet.

(Do you wait for the swimmer’s head to pop up for a breath and blurt out one syllable of encouragement before it disappears again? Is “Keep swimming!” a valid rallying cry? How about “Way to breathe!”?)

Anyhoo, I texted Rebecca from the parking lot and asked if she’d want to share her thoughts about her time with the club.

She jumped at the chance.

The first thing Rebecca, now 22, said to me was, “It was just yesterday I was learning the ins and outs of girlhood and friendships through swimming.”

I settled down across the cider table from the girls, whose names, I would learn, are Eleanor Shuty and Emily Gilmore.

Eleanor, a fourth grader at Jefferson Elementary School, has been swimming with the club for five years. Emily, a seventh grader at Jefferson Middle School, is in her first year.

When I asked what their favorite part of being in the Aqua Club was, Eleanor quickly replied, “Our coaches and how nice they are and how they really want us to have great relationships with all of our friends. It’s really nice and I’ve made a lot of friends over the years.”

Emily agreed.

“I think that the coaches are a really big part of boosting our confidence. Like if you’re feeling down or like you’re not feeling the best about something. I’ve seen them pull aside kids and help them with a skill that they were having trouble with and then it makes them feel more confident. Like, when I was younger, I would have trouble with the backstroke but now I’ve learned really good drills, so it’s made me more confident and the coaches are really encouraging.”

Eleanor chimed in.

“Now butterfly’s my favorite stroke and it’s because they boosted my confidence. If I said, ‘I think I’m really bad at this stroke,’ they would be like, ‘No, you’re great at it and you just need to keep trying.’”

And now for what I didn’t see coming.

I asked the girls when and how they first became friends, and in unison they exclaimed, “Today! Just now!”

My surprise clearly visible, I asked what led them to befriend each other that day, so to speak. What led to this ease and comfort between them?

They explained that they had arrived separately with their moms, not knowing the other would be there. They were both looking at the various pumpkins on display and realized they liked the same ones.

Emily added, “And I think also (because of) our nails.”

They each proudly splayed their creative and colorful nail art for me to see.

Turns out, because they’re in different age groups at the Aqua Club and attend different schools, they had never spoken before that day.

And, according to Eleanor, they’ve already figured something out.

“I really like the butterfly and she thinks the butterfly is hard and I think the breaststroke is hard so we can help each other.”

Rebecca swam the breaststroke her senior year of high school. As she reminisced with me, she noted that although friends are inevitably led down different paths as time marches on, “some people continue to remain in your life, cheering you on.”

One of those people for Rebecca is her “fantastic friend, Julia.”

Rebecca went on to say that as young adults, she and Julia “traded the pool and water bottles for the gym, or for a drink downtown.”

Then she poignantly added, “It’s beautiful to see how our friendship  went from two young, sometimes nervous girls on the pool deck to cheering each other on for new jobs and new relationships.. Sharing a lane was more than just for convenience — it was for the beginning of girlhood and navigating life.”

As our conversation at the free apple cider table drew to a close, these two young girls, Eleanor and Emily, fixed me a delicious cup of hot apple cider topped with whipped cream, nutmeg and cinnamon.

And Eleanor offered up some advice.

“You shouldn’t ever back down from saying, ‘Hi, you wanna be friends or anything?’ because they might turn into your best friend or a really good friend and they might turn other people into friends too.”

Like I said, you never know where inspiration will come from.

Share your good news, notes of gratitude and acts of kindness with me at yinzaregood@gmail.com. And check out the Yinz Are Good podcast at www.yinzaregood.com.