My mother would often rustle up a delightful meal in a jiffy, humming merrily, while I would be only half as good, despite having the same ingredients. The difference was that she was paying attention to the finer, yet seemingly small details and I was overlooking them. She would always say, ‘take care of the nitty gritties. Enjoy the grinding, mixing ,whisking and serving of life and the whole will be good’.
We were living in a world of optics where the big picture, big promises, big ideas were garnering all the attention. Somewhere in the journey of life we were missing the minute pieces that were equally important in making a great finish. Leonardo da Vinci’s huge work of art, Monalisa, rested on a little smile that took the world by storm. If only we could start noticing the smaller things and enjoying them too , life would be happy more often.
My friend who was on a weight loss journey, would give herself a pat on the back everytime she lost half an ounce. It kept her spirits high and she could wade through the bigger journey with less ado.
Whenever things felt overwhelming, I would make a note to myself, to begin small, to take one day at a time, one task at a time, one step at a time, till those little steps became strides and strides became a big race. I decided not wait a lifetime and spend all those precious years to finally feel good. The smarter way to increase my happiness quotient was to cut my emotional losses and start enjoying the stepping stones that fell in the meanderings of life. Smaller things would deeply touch me and often prove a gateway to several fulfilling and joyous moments. My passion for gardening required a lot of patience and hardwork. While waiting for the first flower to bloom, I realized that the birth of a new leaf was also exhilarating. So every new leaf was a celebration.
In the humdrum of life we had forgotten what we learnt in our school songs. ‘Little deeds of kindness, little words of love, make our earth happy, like the heaven above’. They did not mean much till I grew up and realized how monumental those words were.They brought us to the mantra of happiness, that existed right there in the grip of our simple acts.
Many-a-times, we were taking our good friends for granted who were filling in for us, lending a sympathetic ear, or even giving us an earful when we needed it most, giving our lives a fruitful perspective. These subtle acts were the basis of great relationships, but we did not value them just because they were momentary. We would hardly share a light moment with our loved ones and save all the big words for birthdays and special occasions.
If only we could remember how even a flit of a second smile could light up someone’s day, I am sure we would practice it more often.
History had several incidents where understated fine incidents showed how big the small things were. Sudama’s humble gift of parched rice for Lord Krishna, brought him more warmth than any of the expensive gifts would have.
Author Dale Carnegie was a great promoter of practicing finer nuances of behavioral patterns and in his popular book titled, ‘How to win friends and influence people’, he emphasized on uncomplicated, unembellished ways to make new friends. He would often say that if you are to achieve big, then it is pertinent to get down to basics.. Bragging about one’s achievement or dropping big names at a gathering would not hold any water.
Rather seemingly insignificant moves like remembering people’s names and holding their gaze while talking to them, or even being attentive listeners, went a long way in fostering great associations.
Life was great if one could move mountains but a little give and take, a few tender words, a gentle reassuring hug to a youngster who has lost heart, offering someone one’s chair, held its own charm and could be a very strong move in spreading warmth and cheer . We all had this tiny ambient light within us that could light up a dark room. All we had to do was find it and then we wouldn’t have to wait for the flood lights to brighten our journey.