Being Seen…

Greeting dear friends & fellow navigators, & welcome to my world today. You might not say it out loud. You might not even admit it to yourself. But deep down, beneath the expectation & self-imposed restraint, there is a quiet longing to matter.

You want to be seen, not just glanced at. You want to be heard, not just listened to. You want your
presence to leave a mark, like footprints in the sands of time. You want proof you were here & existed in a way which meant something. You are not alone in this.

Look around. The man at the cafe is tapping his fingers on the table, waiting for someone who has not shown up. He wants to feel important to someone. The woman scrolling endlessly through her phone is hoping for a message, a call, or a sign. She is searching for a reminder she matters. The child tugging on a parent sleeve is eager to share a thought. This is not just enthusiasm, it is a need to be noticed.

A worker stays late at the office hoping someone will acknowledge the extra effort. A writer pours
thoughts onto the screen, hoping someone will read & relate. A friend reaches out after years of silence, hoping they still hold a place in their hearts.

All of them want to feel important. Even the ones who claim they do not care, who act as if nothing touches them & who wear indifference like armour are not exempt. Scratch the surface & you will find the same desire buried within. It is human. It exists in all of us.

Maybe you chase it through accomplishments, stacking achievements like bricks & trying to build a monument of significance. But importance is not something handed to you. It is not a medal, or about how many people know your name or how loudly they cheer. It is not about how much money you are making or how many followers you have. Rather, it is about how you live, how you show up, & how you touch lives in ways so small they may seem invisible but are, in reality, everything.

You are important when you listen, truly listen, to someone who needs to be heard.
You are important when you offer kindness, even when no one is watching.
You are important when you keep going, even when no one is clapping.

The world has a way of making you feel small, like one tiny star in a vast sky, too insignificant to matter. But even the faintest light has the power to guide someone in the dark. Even the smallest gesture can change a day, a moment or a life. A candle does not light up an entire city. It does not burn like a forest fire. But in a dark room, it is enough to light the way.

You might think you have not done enough. You might feel as if you are just another face in the crowd, another voice drowned by the noise of the world. But somewhere, you have made a difference.

Somewhere, someone remembers a kindness you have forgotten you gave. Somewhere, a life is better because you were in it. Think of the people who have shaped you. A teacher who believed in you. A friend who stayed when others left. A stranger who offered a kind word on a difficult day. They may not even know what they gave you, yet their presence matters. Just as they made an impact, so do you. So do not wait for the world to tell you; you matter. You already do.

You do not need to move a mountain. You do not need to be celebrated. Your presence & kindness
can make a difference in ways you may never see. I have thought about this so many times. The way we have an almost compulsive need to feel important. I see it in my friends. I see it in myself.

As I scribbled down a few thoughts in preparation for this week, I knew whenever this piece was finished, it would hold some significance. I often find myself playing with words & take on a deeper meaning than I intended. Sometimes, I do not even realize the weight of those words until I read a comment from someone much later. It is ironic, do you agree?

Perhaps the depth is not in the words themselves but in the people who read them. Maybe art becomes art only because every person sees something different in it.

Just few observations again dear friends, & provide an opinion in my world. Thank you for stopping by, I appreciate your being here. If my journey encourages you also, all is well with my soul. Looking forward to next week; this is Kenn Butler in Paradise, Nelson with best wishes.

kenn@kennbutler.com