Those who truly know me know that I come from a family where you work hard for what you have. We might not have had a lot of money, but we always had enough to get by; I've mentioned it before in one of my posts, but often times we shopped at the local consignment shop, bought generic brand cereal, and were (and still are) big believers in hand-me-downs. Some of you reading this might think how sad that sort of life is, but I am here to tell you that there is no reason to feel sorry for me. Loretta Lynn said it best with her lyrics "We were poor, but we had love. That's the one thing that Daddy made sure of."
To me, it's always been the little things that matter the most. Sure, the big gestures are nice, but the little details are what tug at my heartstrings.
One of my favorite examples comes from watching my parents. My mom loves Coca-Cola. She couldn't care less about having soft drinks in the house, but she likes to have a coke with supper. Most of the time she keeps close tabs on how many cokes she has left and will restock before she completely runs out of her drink of choice; every once in a while, however, life slips up on mom and she doesn't realize that there aren't any cokes in the house. None in the freezer, none in the refrigerator, and none in any of her "secret hiding places." She really wants to drink a coke with dinner (since we only drink one soda per day), but she doesn't want to leave the house again since it's the end of the day, and she can't really justify spending the money on more soft drinks. Being married for 32 years, Dad knows how much Mom enjoys her Coca-Cola, and notices when she is down to one can, and when she will be busy and not have time to go to the grocery to restock. Like a knight in shining armor, he uses his spare change to stop at a convenience store to pick up a single can of coke, just for mom. When he walks in with the ice-cold soda just as dinner is being put on the table, Mom looks up at him as if she is seeing him for the first time and instantly falling in love: her eyes get really big, her shoulders drop, and she has this goofy smile because she is so happy that she doesn't know what else to do. Dad doesn't have to do this for her, but he knows that she only drinks Coke; he does this simple act because it makes her happy. And while she is grateful for the cold Coke, I think part of what makes her so happy is knowing that Dad loves and cares for her so much that he would do this for her. Just that fact that he made this effort to make her happy is what makes her happy.
That whole scene makes me say "D'aww!" and I remember that life is really about the little moments. Don't get me wrong, the big moments are meaningful, too. But we must remember that all the little moments added up to help create the big moments. The following is just a short list of some of the simple things that make me smile:
A baby laughing
A stranger holding the door for you and smiling
Drinking a juice box
Feeling pretty without wearing makeup
Hot summer days in the pool
"Good Morning Beautiful" messages
Finding the perfect color nail polish
Laughing so hard that you cry, and then laughing even more
Lights from a Christmas Tree giving off a light glow to the room
Disney movies
When the good guy gets the girl
The Beach (no matter what the weather)
Comfy pants and over-sized sweatshirts
Sneaking a cookie before supper
Being bundled under a quilt on a cold night
Finding a song that fits your mood exactly
Puddle Jumping after a big rainstorm
Sliding down the hall in slick socks
Winning Scrabble against a teacher
Driving with the windows down and the radio up
Humming Doris Day songs while making brownies
Feeling exhilarated after doing something risky
Inside jokes with best friends
To you, these things might seem trivial and unimportant. But to me, these are what makes life wonderful. It isn't about how big your new flat screen TV is, but rather how many people are sitting around the TV with you making the night more interesting. It isn't about how much you possess, but how much love and life is in your heart. That is what makes the difference to me. I mean, even the movie Zombieland used this motto. Zombieland survival rule #32: Enjoy the little things. So, what do you think? Do you appreciate the little things in life, or do you relish in the large moments most? What are some of the simple things that make you smile? How does my list stack up? Can you think of anything to add to my list? Let me know what you think!
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