I’m writing this in Paris. It’s 4 in the morning and I can’t sleep. I’ve had a nasty cold for the last three days. It’s significantly cut into my awake time each day and the time I’ve had to explore the city and enjoy my vacation. BUT—I got caught in a rainstorm, in a garden, on the way to yoga, and I fell in love with the view and the sound of the rain.
I’ve seen so many new and beautiful things this week, I can’t keep up with them.
I’ve had late night conversations with a friend, learned things about him and revealed things about myself.
I’ve read books. I’ve written this.
I’ve had yummy teas and food. I ate a Nutella and banana crepe for breakfast this morning. The coffee here is amazing.
I’ve *actually* stopped and smelled the roses, several times.
I’ve sat by the Seine, listening to music and people watching.
I’ve had champagne at 2 in the afternoon.
Life—the fullness and beauty of it—is made out of tiny blocks of events, actions, choices, time. There are things the world pushes on us and things we push out into the world. Good things happen to us. Bad things happen to us. Some challenges are short in duration, others take longer to figure out. Sometimes we get lucky. Sometimes we make mistakes. Sometimes we do our best and it still doesn’t feel like enough. Every day though—we have choices. Every day—we have control over our own destiny, even when it feels beyond our grasp. Every day—we touch and change the world around us and other people’s lives.
Life is BIG. Big things can be… a lot. It’s easy to get overwhelmed. It’s easy to not know where to begin.
Small things matter. Small things are achievable, no matter what else is going on. Small things create big things. You often have control over small things.
This page is a corner of the South Living Room where you have a standing invitation to join me in thinking about small things—the ancillary stuff that simultaneously decorates the edge of life and makes up its core, the things that matter tremendously, but can be overlooked or underestimated. I hope you’ll stay awhile. I hope it will push you and bring you joy.
There will be new posts on the 1st of each month.
