The Small Stuff

Scrolling through my Facebook feed the past few weeks and months, I understand completely why people sign off social media never to return. Today I’m feeling nostolgic for the fun vacation pics, cute pet photos and those first day of school smiles. Lately it seems it’s filled more with stories of devastating natural disasters, political diatribes and name-calling.

I know these conversations are important to have. The world is full of strife and unfairness. People are mean. People are judgemental and cruel. People want to be right and which means others have to be wrong (but does it really?). Injustice is real. I’m not immune to that. Pretending these issues don’t exist or abstaining from the conversation does not make them go away. Life is not a sun-shiney highlight reel. Yet, people are also compassionate and empathetic. People are generous and kind. People can compromise and right wrongs. All of this is true.

I am blessed and lucky to live in a country where these converstations can happen. We are free to disrespect and disagree with each other as much as we want. Our military protects our freedom to do just that. Freedom is what makes America, America. The Bill of Rights guarantees these freedoms. However, tonight I am tired of reading about people bitching about how others are exercising their freedoms in away that disrespects their freedoms. It’s a Catch 22. It seems we want to exercise freedom and label ourselves the land of the free so long as everyone expresses that freedom the way we want them to.

So tonight I am exercising my freedom to take a break from the heaviness and bleakness from the contradictions and hypocracies and focus on the small stuff that made me smile today instead.

A foggy sunrise as I took the trash to the curb.
I hot cup of coffee from the corner gas station (where all the clerks know my name).
A text, an email, a tag, a like and a walk around the block with good friends (far and near).
Creating chalk drawings on the driveway with my girls.
Watching my daughter’s face light up as she put together her new clarinet and showed me how she can play a few notes.
Noodle soup. Mmmm.
Throwing popcorn in the air and laughing as my dogs take turns catching it in their mouths.
Piles of folded clean laundry (that I didn’t have to fold!)
Whimiscal clouds scattered across the sky as I drug the empty trash can back to the garage.

I once read the key to happiness is focusing on what you are thankful for and those simple gifts that make you smile. Serendipty those little surprises in life are right in front of your eyes if only you open them wide enough to see them. That’s what this blog is all about.

I think I might be on to something.