Making a difference
Ever end up somewhere (a meeting, a volunteer opportunity, stuck in line) and wonder “what’s the point of me being here?” That happened to me last week at a volunteer project. I signed up with the intent of helping and accomplishing a project for a group in need. As is sometimes the case with volunteer projects, we had twice as many people as we needed.
So I ended up standing around for awhile waiting on one part of the project to be completed so I could help out on another part. (You know– it only takes 2 people to dig a hole and one person to plant a tree, but 8 people can spread the mulch!) While I was standing around waiting my turn, I started wondering what difference it made that I was even there. What difference would it make if 8 people spread mulch or only 7? And how was spreading mulch making any difference anyway? Sometimes it can be hard to tell.
What difference does it make?
That’s when I stopped and reminded myself that we sometimes never know what difference we make. That day my portion of the project was spreading mulch at a preschool in a part of town that needed some TLC. The school didn’t have the extra staff or money to make their ‘curb appeal’ look clean and pretty with new landscaping and plants. So we signed up to do that for them. Perhaps the students there would feel more pride in their school. Maybe the teachers would. Perhaps the neighbors would. Maybe someone driving by that morning saw us working and was inspired to do something selfless for someone they passed later that day. I may never know.
The truth is that we don’t always know the effects of our actions– good or bad. Part of the journey in life is learning to trust and believe that something positive comes from most of it, even if we’re not around to see the results. It reminds me of the Paul Erlich quote about the fluttering of a butterfly’s wings affecting climate change on the other side of the planet. Sometimes it’s the smallest gesture that has the biggest impact. And sometimes we’re not around to see the final result. Some of those differences are simply beyond our view.
Where are you going to flutter your wings today? How are you going to make a difference?
If you’re wondering how music therapy fits into the picture, contact me for more information. I’m always happy to answer questions!
