Little Things

It is the little things that bring quality into our lives. Tiny acts and actions can make an impact in ways we tend not to think about.

For instance, Monday through Friday mornings, I get a “hello” honk from a school bus driver. This may not sound like a big deal but to me, it is heart warming. This man drives the bus my grandson rode to the high school before he moved away. I no longer have anyone on that bus, yet Mr. Driver still sends me a quick “hello” every morning. The fact that he thinks about doing it is what makes it so sweet to me. He’s a nice man, he was good to our grandson and his tiny action makes my morning. I can’t tell you how I missed it over the summer.

There is an older man at church that silently goes around taking care of things that need to be done without being asked. It is not his job, he just does it. He’s always enthusiastic, smiling and talks to everyone. This angel in human form is so attentive to those around him he noticed that I have bouts of coughing when fighting allergies. He brings me a peppermint candy to suck on when I need it. Bear in mind, he has even done this during our church service and I sit on the front row. A small act that means so much shows his heart.

Just talking to people can change their mood. I was in a home improvement store and asked an employee where I could find the specific bolts I was looking for. I hated to bother him because he had an intense scowl on his face as he went about the task he was on. As we tried to make sense of the instructions listing the items I needed, I noticed his name was the Spanish version of my maiden name, so I shared that with him. He brightened up and got very talkative, even sharing stores with me from his time in the service. I only needed two bolts and had I located them and went on my way; I would have never been blessed by watching this man’s demeanor come alive and animated. It was a pleasant exchange I would have missed. It was a tiny act that brightened this man’s afternoon. He was smiling when I headed away from his area, an awesome change from the scowl I had witnessed earlier.

It doesn’t take much to make a large difference sometimes. In the examples above, two men used up tiny amounts of time yet their thoughtfulness was so noted, it’s being written about. The time I spent with the store employee was minimal; the difference in his demeanor was huge.

There are is so much ugliness in the world today. Little acts of kindness can make a difference, bring a smile, brighten someone’s outlook requiring nothing more from us that a moment of thoughtfulness. Yep, that brings real quality of life and it doesn’t cost a thing!