When Sandy hit, I was concerned for my family, and my friends, many of whom lived on the south shore of Long Island. My instinct was to go out and help where I could; but I found that I couldn't. My neighborhood was blocked in by fallen trees and downed wires. Plus, my power went out, and stayed out for over 2 weeks. So, as much as I wanted to offer my friends and family who lost houses, or heat, or food, someplace to shower and eat and stay warm, it was impossible. I remember being especially frustrated by that. I WANTED to help, but felt crippled by my complete inability to do so. Finally, when I returned to school, we opened the school as a place for relief; charging stations, food, clothing, internet; just a place where those in the community who needed could come to get. It felt so good to FINALLY be able to do SOMETHING, no matter how small it seemed.
This is what I thought about when I read Chapter 4 of Zander, "Being a Contribution." He starts off with the tale of the woman who is throwing starfish back into the ocean that have washed up on a beach. A man sees her and tells her, "What are you doing? You'll never save them all. What you're doing doesn't matter." And she responds, as she tosses a star fish, "It mattered to THAT one." The practice of "Being a Contribution" is to set forth every day trying to contribute to the world, no matter how small or minor you may think that contribution is. It shifts your thinking from serving yourself, to serving others.
This song is the first song of the SONG A WEEK 2013 project that I actually STARTED this year. The other four songs are from 2009 or beyond. At first I wrote a song directly about my experience during Sandy, but the song was just not working. The inspiration wasn't there. The minute I abandoned that initial idea, and re-read the chapter, I had this new idea: "Let It Be Because of Me." The song then just poured out of me. I tweaked it, and refined over the course of the week, and shifted the lyrics to reflect the spirit of generosity, and trying to help others in need, rather than making "Let it Be Because of me" mean "Let me come in and save the day!" I think I succeeded. Enjoy.
Because of Me - Music and Lyrics by Carl J Ferrara, (c) 2013
A man took in his family after the tide washed out the shore
A house that was made for 2 is now home to 10 or more.
I gave him food to tie him over, even brought it to his car,
Funny how a little thing helps us move on from where we are.
Let it be Because of Me.
My friends were feeling tension, a husband and a wife,
Their marriage being ripped apart by all the stress of life.
I volunteered to babysit so they could have a date,
They hashed it out and reconnected, they're still married to this day.
Let it be Because of Me.
Let it be because I made a contribution
Let it be because I had something to say
Let it be because I asked, "What can I do for you today?"
Let it be Because of Me.
A kid is being bullied, just being him is really tough
Doesn't see the point of living, and he's almost given up
But he wakes up every morning just to practice for my show
He discovered hidden talents that he didn't even know.
Let it be Because of Me
Let it be because I reached out at that moment,
Let it be because I thought not of myself.
Let the world be that much better because I chose to help.
Let it be Because of Me
That's beautiful. I don't know whether to thank you or be annoyed that you got me all teary eyed, but I thought that song really spoke to both the individual responsibility and the individual potential in all of us. Sometimes we don't know how much we can do for others until we try. Other times, we don't know how much we have done until after the fact. This song deserves a share.
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