They are the minuscule things seldom noticed. They are the things taken for granted. They are words, actions, smells and smiles; all present and performed without warrant of a please or thank you.

How many times has your mom or dad told you to “drive safely” before leaving, while you rushed mindlessly out of the door? Has your significant other peered at you through eyes silently saying “I love you” or ran their thumb across your hand while they grasped it? Has your best friend called just to say “hello,” because they wanted to know how you were doing or hear your voice?

How many times have you occupied others’ thoughts while they were the last of yours? In the transitory chaos of our occupied days, we pay no attention to these little things that carry much meaning. That is, until they’re no longer there. It is these things that we miss the most once they are gone.

These are the tiny bits and pieces that construct the meaning in our relationships. It is the glue that holds us together and the cement that binds us to someone else. It is the intertwining of your life with those in your life.

While the big stuff is always initially noticed, it is rarely what sticks with us the most.

These are the parts that leave us hollow in their absence. These are the things that relentlessly grip our mind, body and heart, forever. These are the small actions we all too often disregard, but at the same time will never forget. These are the omnipresent memories that haunt us in our sleep and permeate our daydreams.

It is the exclusive unspoken language you share with someone that will never be understood by others. It’s the secrets, fears and dreams hidden in the deepest, darkest parts of your soul that take time and finesse to unearth.

It’s the smell of home after you have been away.

It’s the smell of your mom cooking dinner in the kitchen or the smell of the backyard when your dad barbecues.

It’s the sound of your sibling’s laughter never failing to draw the corners of your mouth to a smile. It’s the different voices you get lost in that fill your ears and pierce your heart.

It’s the fleeting smiles that flash before your eyes but remain permanently engrained in your mind.

It’s the arms that act as your refuge and the fires that burn down the walls you’ve built inside yourself.

It’s the electricity pulsing through your veins when your lips first touch another’s and when you realize yours will never touch theirs again.

It’s the scent of their skin leaving subtle, unforgettable traces everywhere they go.

It’s the ceaseless dialogue replayed in your thoughts and the words you never said.

It’s the hugs you didn’t take and the time you didn’t make.

It’s pages you wrote in someone else’s book.

It’s the help you didn’t have to ask for.

It’s the snapshots you are left with.

It’s the silence. It’s the noise.

It’s the good. It’s the bad.

It’s important.