We're right in the middle of big/little season. Living in the sorority house, it's basically Christmas in here. Forget the trees, ornaments, and the tinsel. We've got big bins, feathers, and glitter, and I'm telling you, it's intense. After first handedly experiencing the craziness that are big/little baskets from both sides, I feel that I have learned a lot of lessons that can be applied to the bigger picture in life.
- You get what you get and you don't get upset. I feel like as a little, we all are so excited about the gifts we get from our bigs. They're perfectly customized just to make us happy and there's no need for anyone to be unappreciative. All of the bigs spend so much time, money, and energy to make their littles feel so special. If your big forgets one type of candy you enjoy, you just have to realize how many great things there are in the basket that you love.
- Do what you can to make your audience happy. In terms of big/little baskets, your audience is your little. As bigs, we learn to go out of our own way while sacrificing our own time, in order to put a smile on our little faces. Putting people before yourself, like your little, sometimes needs to be done in order to please your audience.
- You get out what you put in. The effort you put into your basket is definitely rewarding. You know you have the sickest basket to give to your little. I have such a proud moment when I see the smiles on their faces, the shirts from the baskets being worn, the pictures of their baskets on social media, and the food we get for them being eaten. I definitely feel that the time, money and energy I put into my basket is equal to the response I got from my little.
- A little reevaluation never hurt nobody. If you're like me, then you redid your baskets a couple of times -- and that's okay. Sometimes you need to do something a few times until you have it the way you like it. You learn from your mistakes, you try again and you finish once you're happy. I do this with writing articles, baking cookies, making speeches and even constructing my baskets.
- Some things in life are just worth it. I hear my mother say this to me all the time: "You know Stef, I took a lot of time out of my day to do that for you, but I see how happy you are now and it was worth it." I feel the exact same way about big/little. Sometimes, it's just worth it to run the extra mile in order to make someone happy. And it's definitely worth it to take time our of your day to make someone happy.
