I hesitate to call it “rubble,” but is there anything more challenging to an otherwise healthy person than a lost motor skill or similar handicaps? Paralysis, impaired hearing, blindness—when your own body presents an obstacle how do you surmount the challenge on a day-to-day basis?

People do it every day and sometimes they’re also moms and dads who have to “be there” for very physically capable children.

CNN.com wrote a moving article on the lives of handicapped adults managing the physically demanding role of parenthood…

When Sarah Kovac watches her son, Ethan, crawl or grab objects, she feels proud, but also has mixed emotions. Already, the 8-month-old has abilities Kovac never had.

“He relies on me, but he’s already able to do things that I can’t, which is kind of a strange combination of feelings,” said Kovac, 26, of St. Joseph, Missouri.

Not surprisingly, a lot of differently able parents count on their children for support in overcoming physical challenges, which is an encouraging lesson in the strength of children. But also, it’s often a matter of the parents finding innovative ways around their own limitations, like the determined mom who has no control of her arms but manages to bathe her son and accomplish all the usual daily tasks, including driving…with her feet.

When you talk to people with disabilities and learn about their solutions that seem downright amazing, you start to see the potential for overcoming all sorts of situations that we too quickly consider to be impossible.

The next time my computer crashes on a deadline, maybe I’ll be inspired to find a work-around, considering what I might have to do if I couldn’t SEE my computer screen!

Inspiration abounds if we pay attention.

There is a popular bumper sticker that implores the reader to “Commit random acts of kindness and senseless beauty.” As with a lot of pop culture in the Internet age, it’s entirely unclear who coined the phrase. Wikipedia documents several sources.

What’s most encouraging about the expression is how it has “gone viral” without any formal backing or official sanctioning. Which leads us to Web based organizations like The Secret Society for Creative Philanthropy.

Forbes calls it “guerrilla philanthropy.” The basic idea is that “agents” from the SSCP anonymously give $100 to people with the promise that they recipient will donate the $100 in some creative fashion. People regularly offer their own innovative suggestions, such as: “Pay the bill for people who are angry and impatient in line, to remind them not to sweat the small things. We have all been stressed out and in that place before.”

Okay, so one hundred one dollar bills handed out in small portions isn’t going to solve world hunger. But making philanthropy a compassionately creative process is a neat idea. SSCP is getting global attention. Maybe because it taps into some universal desire to validate the innate kindness of humanity.

What I like about it is how it turns the notion of philanthropy upside down and reminds us that we can all—with a little creative leverage—make a positive difference with small, sometimes whimsical, actions.

When you’re having a bad day, how good does it feel for someone to notice you with a kind thought or small gesture? And sometimes giving a kind thought or gesture feels even better. Which is great because when you’re digging in your own rubble, a small gesture might be all you can afford!