The Little Things Saved My Life

So, we're all starting a new year. Hopefully, this one will fulfill all our expectations - or at the very least blow 2010 out of the water. But like so many other things in our life, we need to not get too ahead of ourselves and be realistic. Maybe the worst thing that will ever happen to us will happen in 2011, there's just no getting around it. You might get some bad news, or have to go through some tragic event - who knows?

That's not the point. The point is simply that everyday God provides us with small details, the kind that save our lives. Do you know what I mean? I mean those random things that make you smile when you don't really mean to. Like a little kid running down the street with adorable little boots, or an old man sharing a laugh with someone, or my dog scratching on my bedroom door. It's all about perspective folks!

And that's what I'll be presenting here on a regular. The small details of life that keep us sane and joyful, things we weren't expecting and aren't in our plans, but that have been put in our paths to make sure we survive a little longer. I think it was best said in the 2006 Will Ferrell movie, Stranger Than Fiction:


   "As Harold took a bite of Bavarian sugar cookie, he finally felt as if everything was going to be ok. Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies. And, fortunately, when there aren't any cookies, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention hospital gurneys and nose plugs, an uneaten Danish, soft-spoken secrets, and Fender Stratocasters, and maybe the occasional piece of fiction. And we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective for a much larger and nobler cause. They are here to save our lives."


So friends, if you want to smile a little everyday, and remind yourself that it's the small and subtle which makes up the bulk of your experience - come and see. I'll post as often as possible.

This is my morning life saver...Negra waiting for me to get up and greet her. Everyday it's the same deal, and though nobody wants to get up and walk a dog first thing in the morning, her love for me and unmistakeable joy at being able to go out are no doubt signs that adopting this little girl was the best idea I've had in a long time.
Maybe we should all look towards a new morning with the same vigor as this chick, then we might take on the day with a whole new light.

Second up, though it's a bit more random, are my neighbors hanging out in front of my house cleaning their car in the middle of the afternoon. Why does it bring a smile to my face? One, because it randomly makes me feel like dancing in my living room, and two, because it causes nostalgia. I remember being in high school when this song came out - I remember how live we would get with our friends. Now, I could be annoyed that they want to play their radio so dag-on loud, but instead I choose to take it as an enriching detail of my day.

These were the little things that saved my life on the first day of this new year, 1/1/11. What were yours?