A drop of water in the big blue sea
The phrase "we are part of something far greater than ourselves" is one which has been thrown around a fair few times - so many in fact that some brief research into the origin of the quote left me more confused than when I started. But we're not here to discuss my Google search history, thank god.
As I think I've discussed a couple of times on here, I've been volunteering in my local community's food bank as a response to COVID-19. It's an experience that continues to be incredibly rewarding and eye-opening. But the inspiration for this post came from a discussion with one of my very best friends about not knowing what to do when someone thanks me for the help we're providing through the food bank.
I have no doubt that if you're reading this, there's a good chance you're thinking, "well, you do what any sane human being would do and accept the thanks!" Which has occurred to me as well, don't you worry. But the anxiety I have over accepting it stems from the feeling that the job that I do - helping to deliver the food parcels - is a very small part of a much, much bigger process, starting with the people who identify those who are vulnerable, to those who co-ordinate what foods are needed, those who pack the parcels and plan the routes, and organise large donations of food... you get the picture. There's a lot of people involved. So accepting a "thank you" seems wrong when it should go to all the other people who have done the hard work and 'heavy lifting' in the process. However, there are two key issues with that which came up in my conversation:
1) These people don't have the time - or ability - to call up everyone involved and personally thank them!
2) All the work that came before delivering the parcel would be a waste of time if the food was never delivered to the recipient.
The first one was something so obvious that my brain had just completely overlooked it and chosen to neglect it. The second one however was something which had never really occurred to me. Even though in my mind delivering the parcels is the easy bit, it's pretty vital to the process! Suggesting it doesn't matter just because it's easy is doing myself and everyone in the same position a huge disservice. The people we deliver to might not see anyone else all day, so sometimes we have to be a friendly face for a few minutes and have a chat, or unexpectedly help with something else, or change our plans because the circumstances have changed. There's a lot involved with our particular part.
At the end of the day, as with so many things, we're a drop of water in the big, blue sea. We don't think that we add much, but that big, blue sea would be one drop shallower without us, and sometimes that one drop can make all the difference. So at the end of a long day, I think I'm beginning to realise that if I feel the things I do are inconsequential and unimportant that they're not worthy of recognition, I'm just making life harder for myself. It's okay to accept that thanks, because I'm part of something so much bigger than myself - but that something bigger would be weaker if it didn't have me in it.
As I think I've discussed a couple of times on here, I've been volunteering in my local community's food bank as a response to COVID-19. It's an experience that continues to be incredibly rewarding and eye-opening. But the inspiration for this post came from a discussion with one of my very best friends about not knowing what to do when someone thanks me for the help we're providing through the food bank.
I have no doubt that if you're reading this, there's a good chance you're thinking, "well, you do what any sane human being would do and accept the thanks!" Which has occurred to me as well, don't you worry. But the anxiety I have over accepting it stems from the feeling that the job that I do - helping to deliver the food parcels - is a very small part of a much, much bigger process, starting with the people who identify those who are vulnerable, to those who co-ordinate what foods are needed, those who pack the parcels and plan the routes, and organise large donations of food... you get the picture. There's a lot of people involved. So accepting a "thank you" seems wrong when it should go to all the other people who have done the hard work and 'heavy lifting' in the process. However, there are two key issues with that which came up in my conversation:
1) These people don't have the time - or ability - to call up everyone involved and personally thank them!
2) All the work that came before delivering the parcel would be a waste of time if the food was never delivered to the recipient.
The first one was something so obvious that my brain had just completely overlooked it and chosen to neglect it. The second one however was something which had never really occurred to me. Even though in my mind delivering the parcels is the easy bit, it's pretty vital to the process! Suggesting it doesn't matter just because it's easy is doing myself and everyone in the same position a huge disservice. The people we deliver to might not see anyone else all day, so sometimes we have to be a friendly face for a few minutes and have a chat, or unexpectedly help with something else, or change our plans because the circumstances have changed. There's a lot involved with our particular part.
At the end of the day, as with so many things, we're a drop of water in the big, blue sea. We don't think that we add much, but that big, blue sea would be one drop shallower without us, and sometimes that one drop can make all the difference. So at the end of a long day, I think I'm beginning to realise that if I feel the things I do are inconsequential and unimportant that they're not worthy of recognition, I'm just making life harder for myself. It's okay to accept that thanks, because I'm part of something so much bigger than myself - but that something bigger would be weaker if it didn't have me in it.
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