Making a difference

We live a brief span of time on this earth and during this time I am sure that we would like to meaningfully touch the lives of the people around us. We would each want to make a difference.

I used to think - I am only just one person, what can I do? When there are millions of people suffering around the world and thousands around us with little to eat or clothes to wear – what difference can I, as one individual, make?

Then I think about the quote by Helen Keller:

“I am only one
but still I am one
I cannot do everything
but still I can do something
I will not refuse to do
something I can do.”

We have the potential to make a difference in the lives of people around us. One of the biggest mistakes is to do nothing because you think you cannot make a difference. We can do big things or little things – sometimes even as little as a smile or a listening ear to a person in need. And while we cannot help everyone, we can help that one person – and our lives become more significant because of it.

I am also reminded of a beautiful story, I once read:-

A young man is walking along the ocean and sees a beach on which thousands and thousands of starfish have washed ashore. Further along he sees an old man, walking slowly and stooping often, picking up one starfish after another and tossing each one gently into the ocean.

“Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?,” he asks.

“Because the sun is up and the tide is going out and if I don’t throw them further in they will die.”

“But, old man, don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it! You can’t possibly save them all, you can’t even save one-tenth of them. In fact, even if you work all day, your efforts won’t make any difference at all."

The old man listened calmly and then bent down to pick up another starfish and threw it into the sea. "It made a difference to that one."

 

I hope that you are as inspired by this story as I am and that you will think of it the next time you feel that you cannot do much. Because you can really make a difference – to this one starfish – or to this one person – and that is all that truly matters.

For Today

This morning as I was driving to work, I looked up and suddenly saw the mountains. They were all around me – gentle sloping hills that rose to greet the clear blue sky. Ancient and sturdy, they had been here all the while but somewhere along the way I did not see them. 

I looked around and saw soft cotton-like clouds that dotted the sky and lime green willow trees and pink peach blossoms lining the streets. Where had I been all this while? When did winter blossom into spring?

Thinking about it, I realize that often times we are not a part of the present moment. Every moment we are either living in the past or in the future. We are thinking of what we should have done and having regrets of the past or we are worrying about the future – about what could happen and what should be done.

And before we know it, this Present moment which was spent worrying or planning has become a part of the Past and we are already in the Future – and we are not sure where the Present moment actually went.

Minutes go into hours, days into months and our time is going by fast – and all the while our present is lost.

So I say to myself – forget about the yesterdays, forget about the tommorows – think only of Today and of what I can do to make it worthwhile and memorable.

So for Today I will take deep breaths – and let the clear mountain air flow into my body giving me energy and hope. I will breathe out slowly and release all the tension and negative energy.  I will enjoy the companionship of my friends and family. I will try and bring smiles to the people around me. I will try to make a difference (even if it is small one) to at least one person. I will give thanks for all the blessings in my life. 

I will look around and see the gifts of nature. I will see the mountains and the clouds, smell the fragrance of the flowers and taste the freshness of the mountain water. 

For Today, I will live my life meaningfully.