The Truman Show was one of my favorite movies. One of the most maniacal lines from the film was, “Cue the sun!” In the movie, Christof, the creator of The Truman Show, was trying to locate Truman in the dark and stop him from leaving Seahaven, thus ending the run of the reality TV show. Christof had the power to make the sun rise of course, since the town of Seahaven was actually just an elaborately orchestrated set.
In reality, nobody has the power to make the sun rise on command. (Right? I haven’t been out of circulation that long I hope.) We each only control our own destiny and perhaps our blinds and shutters. But it’s amazing how many things we do command. We “order” from a waiter. We scream, “Hey, Taxi,” to secure a ride. To play music in our home or locate an address we start with, “Hey, Siri.” To purchase supplies we need to complete an “order” form, and the Apple keyboard even boasts a “command” key. So maybe we have way more power than we think.
The question is, do we choose to use our powers for good? I’m always happy when a celebrity or elected official, athlete or singer uses his or her power to do some good in the world– raise awareness, communicate a concern, donate to a charity, make a kid smile, or send aid to those in need.
I’m not a celebrity of any kind, nor am I an influencer (unless we are talking about food in NYC which I do know a bit about). I don’t have a following (other than you peeps!) and no paparazzi has ever sold a snap of me on the internet… that I know of. But I try to do what I can, when I can, to help.
I hold doors open for parents pushing strollers, I let left turning cars make the turn before I race ahead to a red light, I used to give leftover food to the homeless folks around my office, but no more office and no more leftovers. I pay attention to tail wagging dogs and kids that wiggle their small fingers to say hello. I always offer a smile or kind word when I think someone needs cheering up. I’m not a hero and I don’t claim to be. I can’t cue the sun, but I can certainly spread a little sunshine (and possibly offer a good restaurant recommendation). And now that Seahaven has had a vacancy for a while, prices should be cheap! Maybe I should consider moving there once my apartment sells? I hear the weather is perfect every single day… “Hey, Siri! Call Christof.”
jenslittleblackbook.com 