Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.
William James
This is so hard to remember.
Whenever I sit down to write this blog, I bemoan the number of likes, followers… Yes, I’m a teenager. Yes, I’m in high school. Yes, I do have mood swings and I’m completely insecure.
But this… this is not the same. It’s something so universal that it consumes our mind at least once a day. Why should I even do this? It doesn’t even help. Ask Mr. William James here. He sounds like he knows what he’s talking about.
What I’m writing here matters. It matters to some people. At least it matters to myself.
And what you, my lovely reader, are doing. Whether you’re cooking for your family, whether you’re taking care of your little sister because your mother is absent and your father is absent, whether you’re bawling through life because you feel as if you don’t have anyone and you feel as no one cares about what you are doing, know that what you are doing makes a difference.
First of all, cooking for your family. You’re making a difference for the person who usually cooks. You’re letting them rest. You’re letting them relax. Or you’re letting them finish so last bit of work.
Second of all, taking care of your sibling because your parents can’t afford to. You’re making a difference in your little sister’s life. Your little sister will look up to you because you are the role model they see and you are that parent figure in your life where your own parents are absent. Your pains will eventually come to fruit in your sister when she grows up and looks to you first.
Third of all, if you’re crying because you are just so lonely in the world, know that someone is here for you. And know that everyday you trudge through life even though everything around you is muted and all the colors are black and white, know that getting out of that bed and walking to school is making a difference to someone. It’s making a difference to your parents who only want the best for you; and if they’re absent and there are no siblings, then you are making a difference for your friends who only wish to see you happy. And if you truly have no one, know that you’re making a difference for the teachers at school who see you everyday in class. And know that you’re making a difference for me.
And if you are just one of those countless, faceless people in the world who I have declined to mention, who are floating through life, who are struggling through life, who are sinking in life, know that you’re making a difference for someone.
Even a small act such as picking up trash is making a difference for someone. Whether it be the grandma whose back hurts every time she bends over, whether it be for your local person who hates litter, whether it be for just your mother, you’re making a difference in each of their lives.
So keep swimming through life. Keep trudging. Keep making your own path. Because no matter how much you feel like you want to give up, know that you are making a difference for someone out there. No matter if you can’t see them, you’re making a difference for someone out there.
Lots of love, and keep swimming,
Dory.
JK.
❤ Jess
Chaos of Life 