It's the Little Things

It's the little things in life that can unexpectedly brighten my day, bring a smile to my face, and lift my mood. Things like getting a green light after a string of reds (or even better, getting all green lights!), an impromptu coffee date with a friend, the smell of my favorite candle, delicious food, sunny days, relaxing Saturdays, and a particularly beautiful sunrise on my way to work. Things that have brought me joy this week were when my work's weekly fruit delivery came a day earlier than I expected (yum! fresh organic fruit!), and when I found the mints I liked buried beneath the ones I don't like in the bowl on the front desk (they look identical, but taste different-- whose cruel idea of a joke is that?).

I tend to get so wrapped up in the seemingly important (or actually important) big things in life: work, relationships, transportation, housing, bills...

What I often fail to realize is that there are dozens of small blessings for me to enjoy if only I were to slow down and notice them. If I took the time to "stop and smell the roses," if you will, I would see these little gifts more often.

These things often show up amidst moments of stress and frustration, giving a reprieve from the stress of the day, like a breath of fresh air. They have the power to cause us to take a deep breath and recognize that the problems we're dealing with aren't all there is to life, but there is also a lot of joy to be discovered, and it's right at our fingertips.

When I take a moment to cherish the small, sweet victories and surprises that come my way, I find myself adopting a more grateful attitude. As fall begins drawing us near the season of thanksgiving, I want to challenge myself and those around me to keep our eyes open to, and be grateful for, the little things around us that we've been overlooking. They may seem small or insignificant, but if we take a moment to stop and savor them, we just might find they're far more powerful mood-lifters than we thought.