The Little Things
I was walking along a path a couple of years ago and along the way someone had painted rocks with bright colours and encouraging notes. This small act by a secret artist definitely made a pleasant walk even more enjoyable. One of the notes stuck with me, probably because I had to ponder its meaning for a second, and also because of how very true it was. The message said: “If you think you’re too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.” We’ve all been there. Lying in the dark about to fall asleep when we hear that tiny familiar buzz of a mosquito somewhere in the room, waiting for the opportunity to strike! Suddenly it’s war! We’re up in a flash, covers thrown off, lights switched on, standing on the bed like some crazy clapping ninja. We will not rest until we track this thing down and silence that high pitched buzz! All this attention and action, for something that is probably a mere fraction of a percent of our size!
Besides maybe being a snack for a few other bugs or small animals, you know just as well as I that it can be very difficult to justify the existence of these little pests on our planet when you’re under siege! So perhaps to us humans, this lesson is the one useful purpose of the mosquito: to teach us that small things really do matter! In fact, teeny, tiny things matter. Small acts of kindness have the potential to turn someone’s day around - or even life around. I remember reading a story of a person in Ontario who had been having a very difficult time, so much so that they had made the decision to end their life later that day at home. On the way, they went through a drive-thru. When they got to the window the cashier said that the stranger in the car ahead had paid for the coffee and wanted to tell them to “have a great day”. Guess who realized that there was goodness out there and there were people who cared? So, rather than following through with their plan, they paid it forward and helped a neighbour with groceries - which in turn also feels good. They were still around to write that anonymous letter to the local paper, thanking the stranger in the drive-thru line. Who would have ever thought that a $2 coffee and a message to “have a great day” could be the small shift that someone needed to save their own life? You just never know what small things can turn into.
Same goes for reaching your health goals. I find lots of people get so overwhelmed that they need some huge life overhaul and extreme make over to accomplish their goals that they end up doing nothing. Try not to get so discouraged with the big things and break them down into bite sized chunks. Small steps can make all the difference. Yes, they can be hard to take but they are sometimes all we need to get going in a better direction. Sometimes one small tweak can unlock our motivation and desire to do more small things. Those small things add up and can lead to big changes in our health - mental or physical.
When you can’t take big strides, take little steps. When it feels like your pain is so bad you can’t make it through the day, make it through the next 10 minutes. When you’re not sure you can win the war you’re fighting with yourself, then win this battle. When you can’t run, walk. You will still get there. You don’t always need to make big changes or do big things to have a big impact on yourself or those around you. The little things you do count - for yourself, for the environment and for others. So don’t forget to do them. And the next time you’re feeling discouraged or think you might not bother with something small because it “won’t matter anyways”, remember the last time you tried to fall asleep…with a mosquito in your room.