Appreciating the small things

Have you ever found yourself having the loveliest day, even though nothing particularly eventful has happened? Maybe you were already in a good mood, and lots of small things happened and made your day more than the mundane. The weather was beautiful. The parcel you ordered arrived a day before you expected it. You didn’t run into that person you were avoiding. A friend said something that made you feel really valued.

Life is made up of those little moments. When I’m away from home, I find it’s sometimes the little things I miss most. Sitting in my favourite chair in the conservatory on a sunny day, with a coffee and a good book. Being able to have a bath. My white bedroom walls that are so much prettier than my uni room’s red wall and orange curtains. The thing is, I never fully appreciated those little things until I had to leave them. Similarly, I didn’t realise just how fortunate I was to have some wonderful friends here until I went home for Christmas and missed them. Being at university is definitely teaching me to be grateful for the seemingly insignificant things, because there are times when those things are enough.

Someday I want to see the world, to have an awesome job, to have a family, etc. I’m not saying we shouldn’t want things or have hopes for the future. But there will be points where we can’t have those things that we want, which is why it’s so important to treasure what we do have. In the film American Beauty, Ricky says ‘There is so much beauty in the world’. And as important as it is to be aware of war and poverty, corruption and suffering, it is also vital to look for the good in life. For me, taking note of the good things can really put my life into perspective; I realise that things are not nearly so rubbish as I thought. I know that sounds awfully like Maria Von Trapp- “I simply remember my favourite things, and then I don’t feel so bad”- but I’d rather be cheesy than miserable, let’s be honest.

We can get so wrapped up in minor problems that we lose sight of the truth, which is that there is still plenty to be thankful for. Last week we had an awesome joint small group meeting, and during the worship time we sang one of my favourite songs. The lyrics are so true- “Every blessing you pour out I’ll turn back to praise…. You give and take away, my heart will choose to say, Lord blesséd be your name”. This song demonstrates what it is to have a joyful, thankful heart, despite the circumstances being less than desirable. It’s not always easy to have this thanksgiving attitude, but I feel so much more joyful when I take the time to appreciate the good stuff and thank God for it, and thank God anyway even when things aren’t quite going as I’d planned.

I’ve been wanting to write a post about this for some time now, and on Friday I stumbled across this lovely website- www.justlittlethings.net . Every day they update with a new example of a small thing that brings us joy, from a hug from a family member to the smell of fresh laundry. It really made me smile, and I hope you all find some pleasure in it too, even the most jaded and cynical among you!

That’s all I have to say for this week; I have two exams in the next couple of days so I’ve been revising like crazy and haven’t had much time to write for the sheer fun of it! Hopefully next week my brain will be a little clearer.

Have a great week everyone! To those who have exams, may they be manageable, and may you never forget that they are not the most important thing in your life.

Love,

C.