“What you do
makes a difference.” 
~ Jane Goodall

After loading the basket of groceries into the back of her SUV, a young mother opened the side door and gently place her toddler securely into a car seat. She then closed the door, returned to the back of the vehicle, and, with an expression of pure exhaustion, looked around for an appropriate place to put the shopping cart. The Trader Joe’s parking lot was packed. It was a Friday afternoon, just a few days before Christmas. As the look on the woman’s face transitioned from exhausted to desperate, an older man, who just happened to be walking by, stopped and said, “I can take that back for you.”

The woman expressed her appreciation. The man pushed the shopping cart across the busy parking lot driveway, parked it carefully with others just outside the front door of the store, then continued on his way. He did not go into Trader Joe’s to shop. In fact, he was not in need of a shopping cart at all. He simply performed that act of kindness and continued on his afternoon walk. 

In the same parking lot that afternoon, a number of impatient drivers used their car horns to express their aggravation or anger with other drivers who were doing their best to navigate the chaos of holiday traffic in the congested lot. 

It’s true. For good or for bad, what we do makes a difference.  

Jane Goodall is a well-known and highly-respected scientist. She has been referred to as a conservationist, zoologist, primatologist, and anthropologist. The job title for which she is best known, however, is ethologist. Yeah, I had to look that one up, too. An ethologist is a scientist who studies the behavior of animals in their natural environment. Goodall, who will always be remembered for her incredible work with gorillas, has made a difference in the world. She is convinced that we are all called to the same lofty challenge.

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you,” she said. “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

Now you might be one to ask, “Who… me? What kind of difference can I make in the world? I’m just a…..” (Fill in the blank)

I’m just a checkout clerk at a grocery store. I’m just a shoe salesperson at Nordstrom. I’m just a letter carrier for the postal service. I’m just a security guard. I’m just a gardener. I just make cakes and pastries at Paris Baguette. I’m just a yard supervisor at the local junior high school. I’m just a server at Lazy Dog Restaurant. I just cut hair for a living. I’m just a secretary in a small law office. I’m just a stay-at-home mom. Just? Really?

Every one of these occupations offer countless daily opportunities to make a positive difference in the lives of other people. Each job enables the workers to have an impact on the world around them. For good or for bad, what we do and how we treat those around us makes a difference. And, when it comes right down to it, it’s not about our job. Retired individuals are called to the same challenge. 

Rather than seeking to be the boulder dropped into the small pond, making a big splash to be noticed by all, try instead to be like the pebble — much less noticeable, yet able to send gentle ripples of positivity into the world.

We can, and we do, make a difference! Be sure it’s a positive one.