It's The Little Things

The smile. The hug. The handshake. The compliment. The unexpected visit or call from someone saying hi and I'm thinking of you. A day that may not be going the best or a person who is not feeling their best can suddenly be changed in a positive way because of the little things. I have been encouraged by the little things and I'm sure you have as well. I'm learning to appreciate them more and more and do them for other people. The little things can make a big difference. It's all about how we take time to notice and look at our day. We need to take time to notice the wind blowing at just the right time, fresh air, flowers blooming, the sun shining (even when it's real hot!), air conditioning, a butterfly flying by, the grass underneath our feet as we walk. We also need to take time to notice that someone said hi to us, held the door open for us or used good manners. We need to take time to be thankful for life itself. All of these are great reasons to give thanks! Saying hi, opening the door, smiling, using good manners, sitting with someone or listening can be life changing. One of my absolute favorite things to do is to visit nursing home residents! I love going to visit the residents' rooms and saying hi to them. Now going to say hi may sound like a little thing, but one's presence can make a big difference. We may be the only person that visited the resident all day besides those who work at the nursing home. We may be the only person who has been kind to them all day. When the residents get excited about people visiting them, it reminds me to get excited about the little things in life. Some residents can't get up and move around like they want to. Some residents can't get outside all the time. The visits are very humbling for me and always remind me to be thankful. In being so busy, I sometimes forget to be thankful for the little things. While we're appreciating and cherishing the little things, let's not forget to appreciate and cherish people. Each of us matter and are very important. The residents get excited when people visit them because it makes them feel loved and valued. In every opportunity we have, we need to let people know we appreciate and value them. It means a lot and something we need to do often as we look at the world around us. So remember to do little things for others. Can you imagine if we lived in a world where all were shown value and appreciation?! We would definitely see a big difference! So, let's do our part in appreciating the little things and doing little things for others. After all, it's the little things that really do make a big difference!