“Enjoy the little things in life because one day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things.”

Kurt Vonnegut

What is a big thing?  What is a small thing?

A big thing could be that deadline for work or that email you promised to send… a week ago.  Those big things are pressing and demanding and important! Gosh darn it, if you don’t get them done there will be a nasty consequence. They are BIG, remember? They are the things you HAVE to get done today, like getting to the grocery store and remembering everything on your list so that you don’t run out of eggs, diapers, or toilet paper and you don’t have to run to the store last minute for a bathing suit for your three-year-old cause swimming lessons start in an hour. Can anyone relate?

A small thing is calling your mom and telling her that you love her. It’s smiling at your neighbor, helping someone out, or just being kind in a simple way. A small thing is singing a song with your son, reading your daughter a book, playing with them, hugging them, paying attention to them as they tell you a long story that never ends and doesn’t make much sense, but you listen anyway.  

Now, before I get carried away, let’s agree on something here. It isn’t smart to cater to your children 24/7. We can’t just do what they want all the time. Actually, that would be incredibly unhealthy for us and for them. If we always say yes to everything, every time they want ice cream or want to stay up or want yet another story, we’ll end up raising a very spoiled, entitled child who’s never had to wait or learn to be patient. So let’s take a step back. The quote says, enjoy the little things, not make sure you do little things the whole day long and put off the big things. It just says to enjoy them, for they will become memories that will be more important than any of the “big things” we talked about earlier.

As you go throughout your day, crossing off all those big things on your list, remember to take some time to enjoy those little things, too.