“None of us really understands what is going on with all these numbers…” David Stockman on the US budget, 1981

All of us are into numbers in one way or another; it’s unavoidable in our high tech world. We define ourselves by numbers: social security numbers, cell or home phone numbers (if anyone still has land lines these days), credit card numbers, lottery numbers….even the calendar seems to emphasize the issue, as we just passed October 10th, 2010 (10/10/10) on Sunday. We are surrounded by analog reminders of our daily life, and too many of us seem to think this is the only way we can effectively measure our impact and worth on this planet. What a sad commentary that is.

But don’t give up hope. There are ways to make numbers work for you and maybe even be your friends! You can start by finding real and redeeming value in numbers. Instead of starting each day with a roster of the challenges and expectations you’ll face in the race to 5:00 PM (another number!), take the time to count your blessings that make the whole thing worthwhile. When you calculate your relative success in a day or a year, don’t make the mistake of basing it only on dollars earned or items checked off your to-do list. Consider the people you’ve met and/or helped, and those who have helped you. I find it a telling sign of our times that people my age seem to be more and more obsessed with the count on their “bucket list”- the things they want to do before they kick the bucket. It seems to me that very few of those lists include items that focus on being of service to others, like “help a young person find their way in life”, or “build a home for someone who doesn’t have one.” Really, how many of us truly need to climb Kilimanjaro to feel fulfilled? Can we really”go gentle into that good night” only if we first visit every major league ballpark in America? I’m not knocking those things, I’m just saying that we should all be able to balance the need for racking up numbers of “thrills” with personal checklists of more altruistic goals. Maybe I’m just lucky because I work at The Music Settlement, where we strive every day to bring richness and impact to the lives of those we serve.

Let me cite some numbers for you that are really special: one instructor for every six children in our arts-enriched early childhood day school classrooms; four years of full scholarship to the Berklee College of Music for Jazz @ The Settlement student Jevaughn Bogard; 13 full-time Music Therapists on staff, making The Music Settlement the largest community-based music therapy program of its kind in the country; more than 40 years of bringing our community programs targeting the very young and people with special needs; 48 weeks of the year filled with activities on our Magnolia Drive campus for you to enjoy; more than 120 instructors and therapists ready and willing to bring you a life-changing experience in a one-on-one or group class format; more than 3,200 individuals directly served by The Music Settlement each year; over 50,000 square feet of building space on our campus to serve the needs of our students and clients in music therapy, early childhood education, and music instruction; more than $190,000 awarded by The Music Settlement in 2009-2010 in scholarships and financial aid to students and clients in all of its departments; and perhaps the most impressive number of them all: 98 consecutive years of bringing quality personal experiences in the musical arts to our region and beyond.

Of course, there are many more numbers associated with The Music Settlement than I can list within the confines of this blog, but you get the idea. There have been a lot of people doing a lot of things here for a lot of years to make a lot of folks' lives better - more than can be counted, actually. These are the kinds of numbers that really mean something. Numbers that you don’t mind be measured against. Numbers that tell a story that is worth paying attention to. The next time you’re stressing about the latest score of your sports team, or the numbers polled by your favorite contestant on a reality show, or the forecast for that Saturday on which you have plans; remind yourself of numbers that really do add up to something significant for you, in your own life and at places like The Music Settlement. I’m counting on you!

Have a great week!