I’m
on my back porch. The sun resembles a fading orange ember. Leaves the
size of my hand drop from an old tree and appear to swim in the air
as they float to the ground. The wind carries the leaves for an
instant and releases them. They fall with a soft touch, landing near
my feet, which themselves swim in golden late-day light.
I
recline in a rocker and I think about the New Year, 2013, and what
changes I might want to make to improve the quality of my life.
Slowing down would be a good move. As Mahatma Ghandi said: “There
is more to life than simply increasing its speed.”
As
I watch the falling leaves and the ebbing sun I am suddenly hit by a
thought: Slow down and cherish the small things. In 2013, appreciate
the little things a little more. Appreciate things like a falling
leaf or the last ray of a sinking sun. It’s like the philosopher
Bertrand Russell remarked, “In all affairs it’s a healthy thing
now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long
taken for granted.”
I
don’t know if it’s true for you, but when I “hang a question
mark on things I have taken for granted,” especially the little
things, life becomes more robust, more colorful and meaningful. As
the Christian poet Khalil Gibran wrote, “For in the dew of little
things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.”
I
continue to watch the dropping leaves. They descend like falling
yellow stars. The air is crisp and I feel the coolness in my lungs.
Slow down and cherish the small things, I tell myself. Like the sound
of my wife and son talking in the warm kitchen. Like the Carolina
wren strutting on the top of the Confederate jasmine. Like the feel
of my dog as I pet her soft black head.
I
wonder why I take the little things for granted, even though they pop
with beauty? I wonder why Ovid wrote: “Little things please little
minds.” The great poet could not have been referring to a small
thing such as a Monarch butterfly that just fluttered past my face
heading south.
No
matter the opinion of a dead poet. In 2013 I will intentionally
cherish the little things. Like my family’s good health. Meaningful
work. Surfing. The laughter of friends. Great books. The sound of
Christmas music drifting through an open window in my house.
I
once read a novelist who wrote, “Half the joy of life is in little
things taken on the run.” I think this is true. The only problem is
that when we’re running we rarely pause to appreciate the little
things. To appreciate the little things you and I must slow down.
Slow way down. After all, you can’t smell a rose if you’re
sprinting to and fro.
