The Social NetWorker

Social (Detective) Work, Perseverance, & What Matters

(This is a guest post by Megan Elizabeth Morris.)

"People who inspire me the most in my field are people who genuinely care for the students we work with. They are people who put aside politics, use enthusiasm and creativity to collaborate as part of a team to come up with the best solution for each individual student. Working with teens, it is not always easy to see the positive impact you may have made, but every once in a while when the day is over you can get that warm and fuzzy feeling knowing you did the right thing. Some of these students really count on you to be there for them. I have had kids tell me I cannot leave them until they graduate, sometimes you never know who you matter to, but it is nice when you do!"

I read yet another Spenser novel last week. These are short little gumshoe novels, about a private detective with a personal code and a very specific way of treating people. (I think last night's was the 9th book in 35 or so titles -- so although I've read them all before, I still have plenty of books before I have to start over!)

This is a man (a fictional character, I remember -- I remember!) who doesn't so much say what he means as do it; the way he behaves is who he is. He may not be a social worker, but the essence of what he does is social work. Moreover, he is constantly finding himself in difficult situations that call for personal standards over "the way things are done" and it's not always clear how his actions have made a difference to the people he feels compelled to help. Sometimes the end of the book doesn't actually come at the end of the book (which is frustrating to a devoted reader like yours truly). But that's the way life is. Sometimes we just don't get to know the ending.

Perhaps the hardest part about making a difference in other people's lives is that you don't always know when you've succeeded. Some changes can take years to pan out; sometimes you get a train of thought started in someone else's head and you don't ever get to find out that the same single train of thought later changed everything about their lives for the better. Sometimes you lose touch. Sometimes you drift apart.

I imagine that I know how this feels to Spenser (or more likely Robert B. Parker, the author) because I definitely know how it feels to me. Without particular kinds of validation, it can be scary to keep moving forward. Courage takes energy. I daresay courage takes courage. Spenser, of course, manages to keep going. Somehow, I've managed to keep going, too.

It can be hard to keep mattering when we don't know who we matter to, I know. We crave concrete results and direct feedback. Life doesn't always give us these things. It doesn't always clearly mark the path we need to take.

But being brave enough to strike forward and continue making a difference anyway -- that's what will continue to allow us to make a difference even when we can't see it. If we are brave, and compassionate, and determined. If we keep our eyes and ears open for opportunities to improve lives. If we take good care of ourselves and continue to be as extraordinary as possible...

That's what matters.

Megan Elizabeth Morris (email)
Ms. Morris writes at Personal Revelations of the Magnificent Megan M. Megan Elizabeth Morris, or The Magnificent Megan M., [proper noun]: Superhuman font of knowledge, skill, determination & resourcefulness. Exudes enzymes that cause others to surpass their potential. Master thinker; writes, designs, manages, ideastorms, markets, inspires, connects, grows, teaches, makes things happen, changes the world, and throws a mean right hook. (Okay. Not the last one. Well! Not literally.)