The Little Things

If you found a quarter every day for a year you would have $91.25. I know that doesn't sound like a lot of money to accumulate over a year, but I think it's safe to say the little things can add up. I don't think people appreciate the little things in life as much as they should, because they're trying to move through their day too fast. A poem that was sent to me via e-mail back in middle school said something like this:

"Have you ever watched kids
on a merry-go-round
Or listened to the rain
slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic
flight
Or gazed at the sun into the fading
night?

You better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last

Do you run through each day on the
fly
When you ask "How are you?"
do you hear the reply?

When the day is done,
do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
running through your head?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow
And in your haste, not see his
sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
'Cause you never had time
to call and say "Hi"?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting
there.
When you worry and hurry through your
day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away...

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over."

The little things in life matter. Personally the little things in life are what get me through some of my craziest days. That punch to the shoulder when I'm on my way to lunch, that ridiculous handshake after 6th hour, the jokes we tell at lunch, the sense of family and belonging at 7 o'clock on Monday mornings and during 2nd hour, all of those things seem small when viewed by a person who wouldn't understand. To me though, these incredibly small gestures are actually quite gargantuan. These things are what I focus on when things happen to start spiraling downwards. Now I want you to try it. Think of the little things that make you happy. The things that most other people would find insignificant. When life seems to start pushing you and telling you to move faster, slow down and start to appreciate the little things. They do count. Observe the world around you and take it in for what it is. I think we'd all find that there's more to appreciate than we first thought. 

Happy Easter! Stay in school.

--Tyler