There are so many little things - details, chores, meals, tasks, meetings, misunderstandings, clutter, egos, and so forth - that I fear losing sight of the big picture: the whole forest for the trees dilemma. I decide, then, to ignore the little things - chores, meals, clutter, egos - and focus instead on that Big Picture (at least as I see it), making sure that I treat family, friends, and coworkers well; making sure that I live my life with integrity, that I'm the person I want to be.
One of the ways I got over my shyness, so crippling in grade school and high school, was to think about that Big Picture: "No, people aren't going to make fun of you for talking; no one is examining your every word." I'm still quiet and shy, but those traits no longer define me. I think about That. I think about my place - all of our places - in the larger society, and what our responsibilities are to that society and each other.
But for the most part, my Big Picture thinking doesn't get me very far. My dishes still aren't done, three of my ceiling lights are still burnt out, and I haven't picked up the Vanilla Bean that my sweet Nana has asked for week after week. I'm also the sum of the Little Things, many of which are broken.
Ugh - and I, I, I. I'm nobody! Who are you?
2 comments:
I am someone who worries too little, and perhaps spends too many days happy. I say that, because sometimes I let the little things that bring me joy, get in the way of the things that don't, like paying parking tickets. Then the little things become more expensive. I hate that.
Of course, one of the little things I enjoy is reading your blog. I hope that there will be a post in the near future, where you picked up the Vanilla Beans that your Nana wanted. She seems nice, and she is a Reds fans. Go Reds!
I don't think anyone can spend too many days happy! Although, yes, parking tickets can become expensive :)
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