For many younger people, Dear Abby may not even ring a bell. But for millions of women in particular, she (Pauline Phillips, who died January 16th at age 94) was someone we grew up with, and even though it may have been not too cool, we did sneak a peak and read her advice columns when we thought no one was looking.
I heard a great quote of hers today:
“The purpose of life is to amount to something and have it make some difference that you lived at all.”
I think that is what most of us really want - to make a difference, to leave some legacy and mark on the world so that it is a little bit of a better place.
We have the opportunity to do this every day – by a kind word, a thoughtful act, by giving more than we feel like to help out another. We can do this by using our unique talents, or by simply giving the gift of laughter.
So tomorrow when maybe you don’t feel like it, dig inside a little deeper. I bet you will find a sense of purpose and delight in making that difference without even having to exert much effort.
*photo NYTimes, via photofest