We usually tend to think of life in the passing of days, weeks, months, years, and decades. However, if you strip all that away you are essentially left with moments. In today's fast paced and hectic society that we live in, I feel that it is so easy to get lost in the day-to-day puttering around accomplishing things that just need to be done. It is vital that we, as cliche as it sounds, stop and smell the roses. We have to appreciate the moment we are in otherwise we only have our daily struggles and the endless crappy situations that seem to end up on our doorsteps whenever they want.
Just like the way we end up handling bad situations defines us, so do the little things. They build up over the years and help us not be drowned by the bad things. Missing your bus, dropping everything in public and having to scramble to pick them all up, spilling food on your shirt, and losing your keys could very well equate to having a bad day but if you learn to appreciate the little things it could help give you a new outlook as well as positively outweigh the negative things happening in your life.
Another cool thing about the little things is that they strengthen relationships. Unless you are Kanye West, it is literally impossible to always show that you care in big gestures. Those big things matter every once in a while but it is the little things that happen day-to-day that keep relationships fresh, alive, and exciting. When I go home on breaks there will be beautiful flowers from our yard in a vase on the kitchen table that my dad has picked for my mom. You might think that after years of continually picking flowers for someone they would grow tired of it or even expect it but my mom still gets a big smile on her face whenever he brings them to her. These are big "wow!" moments but they go a long way in relationships.
When we fully appreciate the little things in life we realize their value and importance. Curling up with a cup of coffee and reading in the morning helps mentally prepare you for the day as well as comforts you, and, overall, it is just such a good feeling. No one is going to write in your obituary that you were able to fix the leaky sink on your own or that you stupidly danced by yourself when you were home alone, but these moments still give us that warm and fuzzy feeling and deserve to be noticed. So go for that sunset cruise with your friends and take as many pictures as you want but make sure you appreciate not just the sunset but the moment too. That moment is so full of energy, love, spirit, and wonder that it builds forever bonds.
Life isn't full of monumental moments. When they do happen,however, these moments are results of a lot of little ones. A marriage doesn't just happen over nights. It is because of many moments of laughter, love, frustration, hard work, respect, and lots of little acts of kindness. Your dream job isn't going to be just handed to you. It is your reward for working your ass off, having late nights and early mornings, sacrificing beyond belief, and endless amounts of coffee. You can't appreciate the big moments without thanking the little ones. If you just live for the huge, amazing moments then all the little things that make up life will be lost through the cracks. We've got to pay attention to the journey, not just the destination.
