It's Not the Size of the Engine ... It's the Road It Travels

Recently a friend was feeling rather depressed and confided to me that he had been thinking about his life and how he hadn't done anything "big" with his life. I thought about that for a while and I realized that he was looking for comfort and validation for his life in the wrong place. Very few people in this world do huge things that make them famous or noted. You can't judge your life by impossible criteria. You make a difference one person at a time. Small victories. Just being there at the right time or helping steer someone the right way. I taught at college for six years as adjunct faculty. I still meet up with ex students and I can't tell you how many of them thanked me for what I taught and for being helpful and patient with them. I was a scoutmaster for a while and I think I helped make a small difference in how those kids viewed the outdoors and their own self-sufficiency. I've had people confide the worst things to me because they needed a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen and they know I will keep the secrets they have asked me to keep. So I am not famous. I am not going to cure cancer or create world peace. But, hopefully, I have been a positive and guiding influence to some and, hopefully, they will pass that along to others. I can make a difference in the lives of many .... as long as I do it one person at a time. And THAT is a huge victory and a reason to keep going on.