The sight of my
keyboard sitting casually next to my drum makes me deliriously happy. And I realize Richard Carlson has it
wrong. We should sweat the small stuff.
The "big"
things are nothing but a whole bunch of little things, built one on top of the
other. Whether it's training for sports,
or learning a new mental skill, we do it step by step. Learning to walk leads to hand eye
coordination leads to sharp shooters and artists. Every journey starts with the first
step. A beach is a pile of individual
grains of sand. It's not all the straws,
but the final straw.
Physics or
metaphysics, life all comes down to one, single, little thing.
Experts, the ones we
really admire, can pick out all the little things: the type of cocoa bean and
where it's from; the combination of spices; the single note in the chord. It is the little hidden jokes that make the
whole show (or book) funny. It is the
single line or thought which, replayed, brings the story together. The taste, the instrument, the voice, the
color, the stitch or the smell. The
little, individual, thing.
If it weren't for
the little things, we would have no variety.
Without variety, we would have no favorites. Granted, we might then have no communication
issues, because we would all be seeing the same thing with the same
appreciation. But then, we would have no
individuality either, and therefore, we would not be human.
Being human is all
about the little things.
It's the little
things that make something not exactly right, whether it's the lyrics in the
second verse, or the too perfect angle of the roof. We chide ourselves because we're judging. We don't wish to settle, but we know there is
no "perfect" match, whether it's in parts, or partners.
But there is an
individual perfection - in the combination of the little things. And that's what we're really looking
for. A look within blue eyes, to match
the smile on ruby lips, to go with the brown hair that parts in exactly the
right direction, accompanied by the smell, the voice, the habits, the phrasing,
the way of walking, the laugh, the height.
It's all the little things together, answering to all of our senses.
My keyboard makes me
happy, as it sits near my drum for me to see while I type on another keyboard
which also makes me giddily happy - because of the way it feels, the way it
sound, the way it looks, and of course the fact it's part of a happy little laptop. It is very near to perfection. Which means to me my future happiness must
include keeping these things (the keyboard, the drum, the laptop) near. And to keep these things near, I must use
them. Make them part of my life, not
just trophies on the shelf, or against the wall. Otherwise the little things become big
things, mementoes. Things of the
past. Signposts, sure, but distractingly
full of little "was"es and might-have-beens. Sad, poignant, over-with little things.
I want my little
things to be moving forward. In
use. Constantly improving. And happy.
Like me.
The magic, the life,
the happy is in the little things.
I hope you have a
great day, every little moment!
-Lila
