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The Wonder of Small Things


I remember a walk I took when my family and I lived in Connecticut. I had a great deal on my mind that day and I was trying to think through what seemed like a hundred things on that walk, and being a multi-tasker, I was also determined to do this while achieving a full aerobic workout. I was pumping my arms back and forth and picking up speed as I walked. I was not looking around, or down, or thinking about the weather when I heard: "Look up."  I don't like stopping when I've hit the A zone of exercise.

"What?" I said, and saw an old woman standing there looking at me and smiling. 

She pointed to the sky. "Look up."

She didn't give me much choice. I looked up and my face broke into a grin. The sky was true blue, the clouds were clustered in wondrous patterns, a flock of geese flew in a V formation. I felt ten pounds of tension lift. I looked back at the old woman who smiled at me, then she waved and began to walk away slowly.

That's all it was. Such a simple thing, and with it she changed my perspective on that day.

I've seen other people do this and I always remember:  The woman on a New York subway who, for one blessed moment, blew bubbles into the car before she got off. A man who carried a can of oil and stopped to fix every creaking gate and latch he came to. My neighbor who sweeps leaves off my sidewalk.  

Small things, wonderful things that make a colossal difference.