Our Great City

"To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world."

~ Brandi Snyder

Small gestures make a big difference

In a recent survey of young Americans about what they wanted to be when they grow up, the number one response was "to be famous." There is a desperate desire to be known in our crowded world, and to know by some definite measure that we are leaving an indelible mark.

Though exciting in the moment, however, being well-known, or even notorious, may not be as great as it seems. Consider the most famous movie stars and athletes in the world today; within a hundred years or so, most or all will be forgotten. So if we pour our energy into making waves on a larger scale, what's the real long-term payoff?

On the other hand, the difference we can make on individual lives is profound. Though reading to a child or spending time with someone who is lonely may not make headlines, it is the unglamorous stuff with which lives are changed. Our gestures may be small, their impact nearly unnoticed. We may not even see the difference we've made in peoples' lives, but by investing in one person at a time, we express to that person that they are valued and important.

With hundreds of millions of us on the North American continent, and billions covering the planet worldwide, it's not hard to feel lost and insignificant. Sometimes, the one that shouts the loudest or shines the brightest may earn the spotlight for a few moments, but the day-to-day investment in relationships is one that yields measureless dividends.