The Little Things in Life
January 27, 2009
I am certainly a softie when it comes to warm pajamas, fuzzy kitties, nice weather, hot cocoa with whipped cream and Celtic music. Don’t we all have things in our lives that make us happy … just because? I tend to be one of those people who generally finds the good even in the mundane, so my list is fairly lengthy, but there are little things—tiny surprises—that can make a huge difference in escalating my happiness to a whole new level.
You see, I had a crummy afternoon. For some reason, I got a bloody nose at work which left me feeling a little woozy and nauseous. When I heated up my soup for lunch, it boiled over and threatened to burn even though I stopped the microwave every ten seconds to stir it. Everything I worked on was not quite what my boss was looking for, and the little side comments my co-workers and I normally toss at each other got under my skin. When I left work, it was cold, and on my way home, every radio station in the city was either playing a commercial or one of the world’s most annoying songs. Somebody pulled out in front of me and I had to stop quickly, causing me to knock over my travel mug and spill leftover coffee all over my backseat. (I could smell it but couldn’t do anything about it.) When I got home I realized that in that same sudden stop, my bag toppled off the seat and my water bottle, which just happened to be open, drenched everything inside of it—and, as a writer, that includes notebooks filled with ideas, lists and working articles. It’s all lying out to dry now, but it’s a soggy, frustrating mess.
At home, though, I was met by one of those little things that pulled me right out of my funk. Our mama from Kenya had written us a letter. It was written on one side of a piece of notebook paper, giving us updates on all our homestay brothers and sister, lamenting the lasting effects of the civil conflict in Kenya last year and wishing us well in the upcoming year. It was short and thoughtful—and it completely turned my day around. My bloody nose was a thing of the past, the radio was off and I cleaned up the coffee stain in the backseat as well as I could. Those were all small, menial things. This letter—as small and insignificant as it might seem—was instrumentally important in putting my day back into perspective.
Feeling better about the direction of my day (or evening, as it now is), I did what any person would do. I folded up the letter and tucked it back in the envelope, put on a warm pair of pajamas and snuggled up with my smallest cat, Toby. Now, if this isn’t happiness, I don’t know what is.
Your blog lifted me out of a funk today..thanks
— Cathe B. · #