~ "It's so easy to get whisked away in the hubbub of friends, work and busy-ness, but we need to take the time to be still and become aware of ourselves. The small things. The fact that we're still breathing. Our ability to move. The presence of love around and in us. Our strengths. Our opportunities. Our journeys."
~Grace Gealey
"It's the little things."
We hear this saying all the time, and it struck me recently, that we hear it more often now. The new levels of anxiety and fear around the onset of this pandemic are urging us to have a closer look. Have we unwittingly become a little more in need of them, in our lives? As we age, are they strategically placed in our paths so that we are well reminded of their importance? Let's talk about the little things.
I had a scrumptious catch up session last week, with my friend on Vancouver Island. On literal opposite sides of our country, with a 4 hour time difference, we got caught up and into all "the little things".
It's February in Canada right now. Not my favourite month. And to be honest, I am struggling. We should be leaving with friends for Hawaii this weekend. Hawaii is one of my happy places. And I haven't been for 7 years now. Life in all her glory, sometimes gets in the way. But in-between my happiness for my friends upcoming adventure, and my disappointment that we won't be joining them, I stumbled upon that treasure trove of forgotten little things. And I thought I would unpack some of them here. Please add yours in the comments below, as it is always a gift to learn from your experiences as well :)
~ "There is nothing, Sir, too little for so little a creature as man. It is by studying little things that we attain the great art of having as little misery and as much happiness as possible. " ~Samuel Johnson
Time ~ we all have it. We use it in different ways. We love it, we dread it. But always, the little things lurk within it. I took time for that call with my friend...and in those few hours, we shared our musings on a number of things...and we shared a great laugh! At the end of it, I said "Oh man, truly, it's the little things, isn't it?" And it is! Time offers us "little things" every single day. But we don't use our time wisely, often enough, to see them. And then to live them. And enjoy the afterglow of what they brought to our souls that day. Isn't it lovely to drift off to sleep, thinking about that little thing, and how it made your day? It goes back to my first post and how I noted that we are in an epidemic of "busy distraction". Remember to take time out, (Yes...like out on a date!!) and enjoy the little things.
~"Oh little thing! The power in your tiny being, stops me in my tracks and sends me reeling!"
~ Michele Villett Shears
Friends and Family ~ Two of our greatest resources for connection. And in these connections, we find more "little things." A shared secret, or a shared secret glance. Watching their face in a flash moment of just how beautiful and meaningful they are in our lives. Just a little moment. Just a little thing. We may hear their humour on a deeper level for the first time. We may let them into our lives a little further, just to experience their ability to be there for us. We may discover our need for healthy boundaries with some of them. Our friends and family offer up a treasure trove of little things, that we can laugh at, cry about, and have AHA! moments with. February blues have a stranglehold on you? Reach out to a friend or family member, and listen for some "little things".
~"I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things... I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind." ~Leo Buscaglia
Nature ~ One of my most dependable go-to's for the little things. When I hit up Mother Nature, and all my senses are lit up, I will always find a little thing. The smell of the forest, the ocean or fresh air. The sensation of that air entering my lungs. Along with the elements of the weather on my skin. Also, have you stopped to touch bark? A leaf? Roll a beaten piece of sea glass in your hand?The symphony of birds singing, married with the rhythm of my feet walking and the peripheral quiet all around me. The taste of the fresh sea air! The visual buffet that is the best meal a set of eyes can have, is all around you. And while the gift of all these things seem huge in their abundance....they are some of the little things that we ignore or deny ourselves. Nature herself offers all these little things to us, every day. Even if you're in the city, nature is there, if you choose to find her. Look for the little things.
~" To be a little thing. We should all hold such currency!" ~ Michele Villett Shears
Movement ~ Though this resource is perhaps my hardest, it is paradoxically also one of my most reliable. Every day, we move. In some capacity, we move. Mostly we move to get up and prepare for the day. Move to work. Move to come home again. Move for exercise. Move our families around. Always moving. But AS we move, the opportunity for the little things to come into focus is ever present. I had such a moment while on a walk the other day with a friend of mine. I was aware of how my legs were working. A little thing. But it lead me to thinking of another friend whose mobility is in peril. And I wondered about her deep unspoken experience of this phenomenon in her own life. The little things can encourage us to think about bigger things. Feel all the little things. And make space to let them move you towards bigger things.
~"The older I get, the more I'm conscious of ways very small things can make a change in the world. Tiny little things, but the world is made up of tiny matters, isn't it?" ~ Sandra Cisneros
Solitude ~ My #1 gift to myself, to find the little things. I mentioned earlier that I am struggling right now. And while all the aforementioned resources offer the possibility and opportunity to find the little things, it has been my discovery that at these more difficult times in my year, I must retreat into solitude. Not easy when you have such lovely and caring folks surrounding you, and wanting to help you. That alone is a gift. And also not easy when we have been mostly indoctrinated in our youth to distract from the importance of learning to be alone. Get busy! Find something to DO! Push through! Let's have a party! Let's go somewhere else! Let's "get away"! Let's join a gym/class.! It is endless how we distract ourselves. And the noise of those distractions are not the usual place for me to find the little things! (Though I always find little things in Hawaii....just saying! ) But you get my point. Solitude is a critical lesson to share with our children! Instead of using it as a punishment.. GO TO YOUR ROOM!!...try using it as a teachable moment, and explore the positives of solitude with them. Share your experience of solitude, and the important gifts you've learned. If you haven't, here's a perfect opportunity!
Here are some little things I found hanging out in my solitude:
a) That I adore my cats, and the peace that they bring to me everyday.
b) Watching your child, grow their child.
c) That I love to muse...about literally everything!
d) That I know so little, about so many things..but that I love to learn as much as I can
e) That I'm okay....just the way I am ( work in progress :) )
f) That I love hearing the voices of my children.
g) That between the hrs. of 5-7:30 pm, the entire planet showers us in the most exquisite light!
h) That the gift of insight is a choice we make and remake every day, all day.
i) When I come home from a hard shift, and my hubby has made me the most amazing meal.
j) That rocks, driftwood, shells and sea glass bring me soulful joy!
k) That it doesn't matter if you're not good at something...hah! It really doesn't! Do it anyway!
l) Nespresso....my happy start to a day!
m) I LOVE my bed and all that comfort that I feel while I'm in it!
n) Catch up phone calls
0) That I love art! Can't afford it...but I LOVE art!
p) Food. I love it.
q) Wine. I love it.
r) Jazz. I adore it.
t) The way I stop to really SEE my loves. This is a huge, little thing for me.
s) How I just discovered I jumped to "t" after "r"...and when I went back to fix..I didn't!
u) How many beautiful little things exist for me
v) That I forget too quickly, about my good fortune in life
w) That I have the most beautiful grandson a YaYa could ask for! Sam...you own my heart!
x) That it always gets better. Always.
y) That I love writing. I truly love it.
z) That it's the little things....
~"The little things amount to big things." ~ Robin S.Sharma
INVITATION
Make a list of your own little things. Spend some time musing in your favourite spot, and see what comes up. Pour a hot tea, get cozy, and just start pondering. Not just recent little things. But also the little things you've discovered throughout your life. Write out why the little things are so important to you! Query wether they are; maybe they aren't! If they are, find them everywhere...look, listen, feel, taste and smell them! I think you will discover some of your happiest moments are often inside the little things.
So I've taken time today to connect to my little things, and have recommitted to searching them out more often. I wish my friends a safe and joyous journey to paradise. And you can find me in Winnipeg, catching up with family and friends and finding a whole bunch of new "little things" to remember! And then, I will be back home, preparing for spring and all the wonderful little things that come with it.
photo cred for shell photo ~ Adam Beasley