Today marks the 500th consecutive day that I have created at least one lunch note for my children. From the beginning, I simply wanted to bring a little joy to their lives and show that it doesn't take much to make a difference. While I truly believe anyone can change the world, not everyone does. I suppose one of the most important parts of changing the world is to define what that means. I am reminded of the story about the man saving starfish:
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.”
In other words, if you want to change the world, start with one person or thing. It would be a daunting task to set out on a journey to change one big thing in this world where everyone ends up knowing your name because of it. Instead, if you can do something nice for one person, you may just change the world for that individual.
So, 500 days after starting this journey, I feel as though I've changed the world for at least one of my children. Then, when I look at social media and realize that over 900 people from around the world are fans of these sketches, I think it's possible I might be changing the world for someone else, too. I look forward to the opportunities this little adventure brings in meeting new people, creating art, and making a difference in this world.
Lunch notes for everyone!