It’s springtime. The sun is shining, the grass is green, the flowers and trees are in bloom. I watch the season unfolding from inside my apartment, grateful for the view and the reminder that at least SOMETHING is “normal” these days. I’ve frankly struggled with the rest of it. What do we DO in a time like this? I have come to know that part of the answer is in NOT doing, it’s in being.
And yet, there is that part of me that is stuck and frustrated. I have the time but not the passion to put energy into anything that is self-focused. Making money in a time of turmoil, to me, holds pretty much no appeal. Being of service, however, is paramount. And that is where I get stuck. What do I have to offer that is of any use to anyone?
It is odd during the spring that the Christmas story of The Little Drummer Boy comes to mind. But its message is so vitally pertinent that I share it now, courtesy of the lyrics of the song:
Come they told me
A new born king to see
Our finest gifts we bring
To lay before the king
So to honor him
When we come
Little baby
I am a poor boy too
I have no gift to bring
That’s fit to give our king
Shall I play for you
Mary nodded
The ox and lamb kept time
I played my drum for him
I played my best for him
Then he smiled at me
Me and my drum
I feel so much like the little drummer boy. What do I have to offer? I am not a health care worker. I don’t have any magic potions to make things better. I don’t have any answers for those who are depressed or confused or bored or angry or whatever they are feeling.
Normally, I talk to groups – and now there are no groups meeting.
Normally, I teach in corporations – and now there are no corporate meetings.
Normally, I coach college graduates on finding a job and moving into adulthood – and there are no college graduations and there are few companies hiring.
But…
What I do have is caring. I’m a good listener. I don’t have answers, but I do have big shoulders to lean on, to cry on. I post lighthearted things on social media because people say it makes them smile. I love to make people smile. I love to help people find their humanity, by showing mine.
And I LOVE to read to children.
Yes, there are things I can do, that feel right, because I am BEING me. Find what is right for you.