It’s the little things. You hear that so often and so often we take that simple phrase for granted. Like we doubt that something little could live up to make an impact. As if a small gesture doesn’t speak volumes.
With the hustle and bustle of the season, it’s so easy to overlook the little things. We want to make the most of these days, want to have fun, want to show others a good time, to fully embrace an experience and make it mean the world. We want to do 100 things in a time frame where reasonably you’d be lucky to get 5 things done.
But we need to be reminded that it’s the little things that truly make a difference. They do for me anyway. Yesterday, my son was home sick from school and in the time that I would have accomplished so much on my own, I was home cuddling with my little guy, nursing him back to good health. In the back of my mind, I had a running list of the errands and chores that weren’t getting done, but I knew what I was doing was more important. We were up the night before, got awful sleep and so we needed that time to rest and he needed me to be with him.
Last night, while my husband was home with the kids, I was able to run out and tend to that list. I ran here, ran there, tried to get a lot done in a small amount of time because I wanted to be home for bedtimes. My last stop was Trader Joe’s. My home away from home I feel like some weeks. But I was going to be able to cross off everything on my list and I was thru the roof excited. I rushed in and stopped in my tracks. In my Trader Joe’s the floral section is right at the entrance. I stopped just as I entered and thank goodness no one was right behind me or they would have knocked me over. There, in the floral section were bunches of beautiful flowers, per the usual, but what stopped me and made me catch my breath….there were chamomile flowers. Beautiful bunches overflowing from their buckets. And they were beautiful. They were fragrant. They were just what I needed.
Naturally, I bought a couple bunches to bring home to enjoy. But the point, which I am sure you now think is long gone, is that it made me stop. Made me stop and very literally, smell the flowers. Just like I had to stop during my day and tend to my son, drop everything and be near him when he wasn’t feeling well. The flowers made me stop, made me breathe, made me smile.
Thanks a lot, Ms. Lisa, for sharing this touching incident of stopping in your tracks to live in the moment! More often than not, we fail to realize how the little things in life make a huge impact not only on the way we think, live or interact with others, but also in terms of the outcome of the entire process. Taking a breather when most needed infuses us with renewed vigor to go, and tackle the biggest challenge with ease.
Warm Regards
BM
Thank you for your comment! I find that the more I try to be mindful of the little things, sometimes the easier it is to see the bigger picture. It’s not something I’m capable throughout my entire day but I’m trying to take more steps back with the hopes of seeing things more clearly.