today, i feel moved to say this:

you matter.

a few weeks back, i watched an episode of the mindy project.

at one point in the episode, mindy says to danny, “i think the reason i tell everyone about us is because i want it to be real. the more real it seems, the less likely it is that it could all get taken away from me.”

this got me thinking about how we want to matter – to someone, to anyone.

we want to know that it matters that we were here, that we made a difference, that someone cares.

but here’s the thing: sometimes the moments we matter the most are the moments we aren’t aware of at all.

like the time you treated someone with respect + dignity. (you didn’t know they were judging themselves harshly for being in that particular situation at all.)

like the time you smiled and held open the door for someone. (you didn’t know they were feeling unseen.)

like the time you issued an invitation to someone. (you didn’t know they were feeling lonely and disconnected.)

like the time you sat and listened to someone. (you didn’t know they were feeling unheard and rejected.)

like the time you forgave your own self, or let yourself off the hook, or met yourself with love. (you didn’t know how much you needed it.)

this made me think of feathers.

i think of feathers as messages from the angels. when i am feeling small, or lost, or alone, i look for feathers; i always always find them.

you might be a feather in someone’s path right now.
you were certainly a feather in someone’s path in the past.
you will be a feather in someone’s path in the future.

most of the time, you will never know those moments happened.

whether they do, or whether they don’t, you always always matter.

you matter because you exist.

you truly truly matter.