I'm no stranger to earworms. I have a musically inclined eight-year-old daughter who belts out songs regularly, owing to whatever she hears in school, around friends, or during her latest streaming binge.Once she hears it, it's only a matter of time before she starts humming it, and then it's seared in my brain on an endless loop for hours, sometimes even longer. For that reason, I didn't give it much thought when songs from the television series Electric Bloom entered the queue a few months ago. What surprised me was how quickly "One Little Spark," a song from the show, stayed with me, playing on repeat in my mind for days. Just when I thought she had moved on and another earworm would take its place, it came roaring back.On its face, the song was catchy, but I couldn't figure out why the lyrics kept sticking in my head. I was drawn, in particular, to the songs lyric, all it takes is one little spark to start a fire that can light the whole world. There are specific musical characteristics that make songs more likely to become earworms, and one of them is whether the song triggers some emotional charge, consciously or not, for the listener.I initially thought this earworm was the result of fatigue and the daily barrage of the news cycle, which was triggering anxiety about everything from the increased presence of ICE to the latest kerfuffle over the Supreme Court arguments. And yet, the more I listened to the words, the more I realized it wasn't trauma that was causing this particular earworm, but the search for some joy in these trying times.I run an initiative that provides legal services to unhoused and at-risk LGBTQ+ youth and young adults in New York City. Many of our clients have lived their lives in a near-constant state of trauma and injustice. Some traveled thousands of miles seeking the chance to live a life free from gender-based violence. Others found themselves rejected from their families, more susceptible to adverse health outcomes, and overly presented in child welfare and juvenile justice systems. I spend a lot of time working with young people navigating fear and crisis. And the heavy toll they bear is made infinitely more complex by the current administration's zealous attacks on their existence.And yet, each of them represents a story of hope and the search for something more.Each of these clients is rewriting their own story when they come through our doors. I think of the seventeen-year-old transgender girl who survived the death of a parent while walking from Venezuela to the United States. Or the queer young man whose family disowned him, leaving him on the streets for years, and yet came through our door with a warm smile on his face and excitement over the start of a new school year. Each of them is a testament to the value that comes when we prioritize change for one person.A colleague once remarked that one of the most valuable things we can do when faced with adversity is to realize that we're not as powerless as we often think. He said, "If you can find a way to help one person, help one person."This past summer, one of our clients, a transgender woman from Central America, was detained by ICE. During the nearly two months that she was detained, I agonized over every choice we made in her case and the potential consequences if we failed to secure her release. When she was ultimately released from custody, I felt an overwhelming rush of breath as I let out months of anxiety and was finally able to breathe. In that moment, I thought about the song and the impact that comes from that one spark, that one heart that's strong enough to keep moving forward. I didn't know it then, but when I heard the song, I realized I had been trying to find my own spark of light. I was looking for the joy, resonance, or meaning that comes from changing one person's life.For our clients, it's often as simple as believing in them and showing up with compassion and kindness. They bring light into our lives by reminding us why we do this work.What started as just another earworm has now been the mantra getting me through these difficult times. On frustrating days marked by bureaucracy, intolerance, and an ever-shifting legal landscape, I am reminded that, collectively, we can all be that spark. Each person can help transform the lives of queer and trans youth from fear and instability to stability and possibility. - YouTube www.youtube.com Amy Leipziger is the Project Director of the Free to Be Youth Project at the Urban Justice Center, which works to interrupt the cycles of poverty and criminalization that prevent homeless and street-involved LGBTQ+ young people from living fulfilling lives free from discrimination, abuse, and oppression.Perspectives is dedicated to featuring a wide range of inspiring personal stories and impactful opinions from the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. Visit Pride.com/submit to learn more about submission guidelines. We welcome your thoughts and feedback on any of our stories. Email us at voices@equalpride.com. Views expressed in Perspectives stories are those of the guest writers, columnists, and editors, and do not directly represent the views of Pride or our parent company, equalpride.