Small Things

Life is loaded with small things: a single breath, a slight smile, an earthworm.

The popular course of life is loaded with big things: a blockbuster Super Bowl commercial, the tallest building, the top 50 richest people list.

Small things are more powerful than big things.

I interviewed a business leader two weeks ago, in one of the 50 largest and most successful corporations on the planet. I asked him the best things about his manager. He said “He really cares about people. He is a true people person”. I asked how he knew that. He said, “He says good morning to me every day.” A small thing. It creates untold amounts of loyalty and accomplishment.

I am doing the training that would normally be involved if one were going to do a triathlon (notice I did not say that I am training for a triathlon). Every other day almost I receive a text from my training partner. He tells me what he did the last few days—swimming, biking, etc. I do the same. Thus we encourage each other. We are progressing steadily. A small thing. We will be ready in June.

I have a friend who sometimes takes a small bag of lemons to work. She is working long hours these days. She loves lemons in her drinking water. The small simple yellow lemon brings her joy, every time she takes a much needed break, slices one and squeezes it into her cold glass of water. Small things.

A few years ago I decided to learn a little about writing songs. Bought a book and followed instructions to do something called “morning pages”. Ten minute blocks of producing prose to wake up your brain by exploring all 7 senses through imaged writing. I now have 62 pages, over 35,000 words of imagery, some very bad, some very good. I now have written or co-written 4 songs that have been performed. Small things, repeated.

Notice the big things: the commercial will be forgotten, eclipsed by the next clever idea. The tallest building will fall. The 50 richest will decompose to dust the very same way as the 50 poorest.

Take away the breath; all life ceases. Take away the smile; all joy ceases. Take away the earthworm; all crops cease.

From small things come great things.

Take care of the small things, consistently. The big things will take care of themselves.

Are you paying enough attention to the small things?