Just a drop

A little drop of sunlight
In a lake of lonely night,
A little drop of comfort
To a mind that's wound up tight,
A little drop of water
In a throat that's feeling dry,
A little dripping teardrop
From an eye that needs a cry.
A drop into your bucket,
A drop into the sea,
A drop lost in the ocean,
Just tiny little me.
It may be all that I can do,
But I will be a drop for you.

-B.C. Byron

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “only a drop in the bucket”. It’s usually a phrase that’s used in a negative way as in, “you’re going to do all this tedious work and spend all this time and it will hardly make a difference”. Sometimes we feel like we, ourselves, are just a drop in a big bucket and the things we do don’t make a difference, good or bad. We often are tricked into believing that the world needs us to do big, amazing things to make any worthy impact. But this poem turns that sentiment on its head. The most powerful and important people in my life have been those that consistently helped me in small ways, ways I didn’t always notice until years later. My Mother and Father have always been like this, nudging others in the right direction and doing what they think is right even though it hardly gets noticed by the world. My parents were never CEOs of a big company, never won big competitions (at least not that they told me about), never ran marathons or raised tons of money for a charity, and at least until their later years, they never even went on any exotic vacations. But these are the people that changed me and molded me and my 6 siblings the most. They are also beloved members of their community and counted on by many, many people. This poem praises those who are content to be a drop in the bucket of others, if they see that that’s what is needed most. This is for the people that quietly chip away at tasks and never tire of doing the right thing whether it gains them praise and notice from others or not. It’s okay to have great aspirations and to want to change the world, but while you have your big dreams, remember that your influence is already huge for those that are right next to you. The ocean needs every drop and the world needs you to be consistent in helping those around you. The drop is part of something bigger than itself and is happy to be so. Society is only as good as the 7 billion individuals that live in it and not all of them need to be nobel prize winners. You are more powerful than you know, little drop.

Sorry, no drawing this week. I wasn’t really sure what illustration would go with this poem and things have been extremely busy. I’ve been putting tiny drops into my big empty pond of tasks at work and I’m behind, but I’ll keep at it. If you think of a good drawing to go with this poem, feel free to comment below. Thank you for reading.