Be the Difference

Tom Ziglar recounts a story that his father, Zig Ziglar, would tell about a young boy and his grandfather walking down the beach.  A big storm had come in the day before and there were hundreds and hundreds of sand-dollars washed up and starting to die in the sun.  As they walked, the grandfather would stop from time to time, reach down, pick up a sand dollar and throw it into the ocean.  Finally, the little boy asked, “Grandfather, why are you throwing them back in?” and his grandfather replied, “So that they will live.” The little boy thought for a minute and said, “But grandfather, there are so many of them! What possible difference can it make?”  And the grandfather, reaching down and tossing another one back into the ocean, said, “To that one, it will make all of the difference in the world.”

No matter how many times I have heard the tale, each time it touches my heart and reminds me that each day we wake on this planet and are given a new slate.  We can choose to be the difference.

Ghandhi said, “We must be the change we wish to see.”   But, how do we be the change we wish to see in the world, when the world seems so messed up right now?  By not trying to boil the ocean, but in starting small and remembering along the way the most simple gesture of good will can have an amazing ripple effect.

For as long as I can remember each day, as I see my boys off for the day, I say “do something today that changes the world.” What a reward later in the day to hear them recount the great things they did. My favorite? My then 8-year-old who told his teacher she looked beautiful in her purple dress. In return for “making her day” she allowed him to be first in both the recess and lunch line. Talk about learning a life lesson about the ripple effect first hand!

Recently, my 15-year-old caught me off guard. When I dropped him off and before I was able to say the words he turned to me and said, “Off to change the world, Mom.” Yes, this is the same son who brought a tear to my eye months ago when he turned to me at drop off and said, "Make good decisions today Mom."  Absolutely, no doubt that he will change the world, but instead of sand-dollars it will be one person at a time.