Big little thoughts

"The power of duly appreciating little things belongs to a great mind."

-Richard Whately

It is early. The air is still damp with dew from the night before and I am sitting on the patio observing life happen all around me. There are birds twittering back and forth across the trees and crickets are still singing their song from the night before. Ants are congregating on the patio to scrape the remnants of sugary stickiness from a coffee spill left earlier in the week.

The sun is beginning to cast its golden glow on the tallest treetops while the shorter trees patiently wait below, their branches reaching out away from the woods and towards the day.

A couple next door enjoys a lively conversation over breakfast—I can hear the chatter through their screen door and the clatter of utensils on their dishes in between the rise and fall of the cadence of their voices.

A throaty meow from a cat can be heard as he tries to get back inside his home.

This is only a tiny patch of life limited to what I can see and hear from my patio.

From my own home I can hear my two sons giggling as they play together and my tiny fountain gurgling. My poor patio plants are struggling to survive and my slipper clad feet are crossed and resting on a chair I scooted in front of me.

The book on my lap is waiting to be read and my coffee is cooling on the arm of my chair.

My mind is full of bustling liveliness and a world of its own: worries, thoughts, observations, questions, feelings amassed...yet my surroundings pull me out of my mind and make me stop.

When I really sit and concentrate on everything I’m taking in—it astounds me and I feel...

at peace and...thankful.

Because I know that my tiny little corner of the world is comfortable and familiar, and though not perfect— it is calm right now and I appreciate that.

Take a moment to stop and take in your surroundings. Really listen and see and feel. We have been given this moment and it is just as important as the ones we give weight to: it is full of life and worth your time to appreciate it.