Something That Matters

Once upon a time, in a time that seems like a hundred years ago, I was pondering what to do with my education. I don't remember thinking about making a lot of money (until I saw what an apartment would cost each month). I wasn't looking to take more classes (though the familiarity of continuing on an academic track was tempting). I didn't want to go abroad and save the world--I wasn't equipped to save much of anyone. And yet, I wanted to do something that mattered.
 
Something that mattered--what exactly did that mean? Before I actually figured that out, I had landed--I couldn't, and still can't, believe it--a job at One Life to Live. I could interpret "something that mattered" as getting coffee for tired producers or giving scripts to actors or being part of a production telling stories that could, once in a while, educate viewers about an issue or disease. Mostly, I was just glad to have a job that was kind of a dream come true, and a workplace where people seemed to like me.
 
What I have learned since then is that "something that matters" can come into your life in many different ways. You don't have to be curing a disease (though I thank goodness for those who do) to be doing something that matters. Perhaps you are educating people, or entertaining them, or simply making their lives a little easier. Or maybe you are just giving enough of yourself to make a difference in the lives of people you work with. We can all do something that matters, whether our work is building, or healing, or editing television. All these years later, I'm still finding ways.