The other day, I reposted this meme, because I like the sentiment:
The TL;DR version: no matter what your chosen craft, work to excel at it, because it will make a difference. Undeniably, the way it’s stated is a bit hyperbolic. Nonetheless, it’s a beautiful, motivating, and, at the very least, harmless thought.
This is the internet, though, where we can’t have nice things.
A friend of mine, whom I deeply respect, but whose social media presence I’ve found to be largely negative and cynical, chose to weigh in:
“Well, this should make a few of my friends mad at me: Apples-to-Oranges and a bit self-aggrandizing on the part of the author.”
Mad isn’t quite the word for my reaction. Indignant, maybe. I can admit that, in a way, he’s right, but at the same time, I know from experience that he’s wrong.
Though this story isn’t a perfect equivalent in circumstance, it’s one that I know to be true, and it’s the first memory that came to my mind when I read my friend’s assertion about how wrong I was:
On a quiet day at Magic Kingdom, a group of Disney characters wandered into one of the less-traveled sections of the park. In the slow season, on this quiet pathway, there weren’t a lot of people there for the characters to play with. Eventually, a small group found them: an older woman, a little girl, and a guest relations cast member.
A guest relations cast member escorting a guest is a sign that this party may need some extra consideration. True, sometimes it just signals a group of people willing to spend ridiculous amounts of money for their own private tour guide, but that’s not always the case. The characters had no way of knowing why this pair was being escorted, but it didn’t really matter to them: they were just thrilled to have someone to play with.
Since no one else was really around, the characters had the best time with this little girl. They gave her so many hugs and snuggles. They danced to music that no one else could hear. They played peekaboo, and tag, and gave autographs, pictures and high fives. The older woman got a few hugs too, but it was clear that she preferred to stand by and watch the little girl have fun, a smile of contentment on her face.
After several minutes, the characters’ attendant realized it was time for them to go and help with the parade. Everyone gave the little girl one, last, powerful hug, and they all turned for one last wave goodbye before they went on their way.
The little girl waved to each and every one of them. “Thank you for playing with me!” She called as the last character disappeared from view.
The characters’ attendant took one last look behind him before he followed his charges, and noticed, to his horror, that the older woman had collapsed on a bench, shaking. Her face was white. He watched a tear spill from her eye and roll down her cheek.
The attendant was horrified that the characters had somehow done something to offend this woman. He rushed over to her. “Ma’am, are you all right? Is there anything I can do? Can I get you some water?”
The woman looked highly embarrassed. “No–no, I’m fine,” she stammered. She insisted on going to the drinking fountain herself, and stepping away for a moment to compose herself.
The mortified attendant turned to the guest relations cast member who had been escorting the woman. “What did we do wrong?” He asked.
“You did nothing wrong,” the guest relations cast member assured him, somewhat aghast herself. Discreetly, she gave the attendant a little bit of background information. Some time ago, the little girl had witnessed an event that had taken the lives of her mother and younger brother. Her father had blamed himself for their deaths, and had taken his own life. She was now being raised by her grandmother.
Since these events had taken place, the little girl had not spoken.
To anyone. At all. Ever.
That grandmother had tried every kind of therapy she could afford, and nothing she tried had made a difference for that little girl.
…Until she met a group of Disney characters and thanked them for playing with her.
I spent many years working for very little pay in a job that most people would define as frivolous. That experience taught me many things, including this: It IS important to take pride in what you do, no matter what that is. Because every job you do, no matter how ‘frivolous’, has the potential to make a difference to someone.
We may not all make a difference in the profound and palpable a way a physician does. And unlike a physician, we will likely never know the people we’ve helped. Still, we have the ability to, if not save a life physically, at least apply first aid to a wounded soul–just as it says in the quote that started this little tirade of mine.
Laura Writes 
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