Little Things

I hope always to be a person who is moved more by the little things than the big things.  I also hope to be a person who actually notices those little things so that I can be moved by them.  For life is made up of little things much more than big things--little things happen in our lives pretty constantly, while the big things tend to occur sporadically at most.

One of my colleagues offered me a piece of chocolate the other day.  It was just what I needed at the moment, and it tasted fantastic.  It was a very little thing that brightened my day and made me feel much better.  A student came into my room just to talk, and that was something that made me feel very good inside, especially since we had a nice conversation.  My wife put a little note inside my lunch, and that made me feel appreciated and loved.  The cashier at the supermarket yesterday was extremely friendly, kind, and cheerful, and my short conversation with her lifted my spirits on a day when they could use a bit of lifting.

Yesterday we had a terrific lightning storm.  This morning I saw a beautiful picture on the Internet.  When my wife and I went for a walk the other day, we saw beautiful, huge spiders as well as a snake, lizards, a magnificent hawk, and big yellow butterflies.  I heard a great song on the radio that I hadn't heard in years.  I saw a couple of little kids playing in a playground, having a blast.  I ran my hand over the flowers of a lavender bush and then held my hand to my nose--it was one of the best smells in the world, I'm sure.

All around me are little things; before me are seemingly insignificant moments that are just waiting for me to notice them, to love them, to appreciate them.  They are there all the time, and they occur all the time--but it's up to me to make the effort to notice them and to appreciate them.  Things like that don't just happen; they must be made to happen.  And if I do try hard to be aware of them and allow them to affect me in positive ways, then that effort shall enrich my life.

For most of life, nothing wonderful happens.  If you don't enjoy getting up and working and finishing your work and sitting down to a meal with family or friends, then the chances are you're not going to be very happy.  If someone bases his or her happiness or unhappiness on major events like a great new job, huge amounts of money, a flawlessly happy marriage or a trip to Paris, that person isn't going to be happy much of the time.  If, on the other hand, happiness depends on a good breakfast, flowers in the yard, a drink or a nap, then we are more likely to live with quite a bit of happiness.

Andy Rooney