I
read a quote yesterday “Maturity is not when we start speaking big things… it
is when we start understanding small things”. I had not sat down until then to
acknowledge the analysis of my week so far. I always begin on Monday with a
positive approach to the day and prefer to check in on a daily basis with my
state of mind, rather than succumb myself to a weekly pattern.
Nevertheless,
I took a conscious effort to gauge my mind and ask myself what were those small
things that made this week more positive and also what had I deliberately
eliminated or avoided entirely to distance away from negativity.
I want to share my list of positives, or as the quote
refers to “small things”, which contributed to a positive week for me.
1. Empathy-
I genuinely understood the situation of good friend and didn’t feel bad that
they were unable to have a long awaited telephone call with me. I knew I
deserved to be spoken to, I had waited for a long time, yet I also realised
that if this was not the time, there was going to be a better time in the
future.
2. Honesty – I was sent an online order
of some items purchased. What I received was more than what I had ordered. I
informed the company of their logistical error and requested them to pick up
the extra goods that were not mine. The retailer expressed gratitude for my
honesty.
3. Not giving up – It took me three
days to simply send a rather large electronic file online to someone. I was
cursing new technology for some time and did even consider traditional means of
posting them a pen drive with this information. I felt stupid that I was
incapable of sending a mere 3 GB of information, when more than half my life is
stored in the “cloud”. I solved the problem before it solved me.
4. Self-restoration - A good cry is
when one allows pain to kill pain. I indulged in a good session, followed by
wearing my largest sunglasses and showing off my most confident swagger. It felt
better than a bladder release.
5. Inspiration – I have been watching a
different film every week for a few weeks now. They get sent to me on
recommendation by an angel in the cloud and all of them have one thing in
common, a sense of struggle that shapes us towards becoming more motivated and
positive human beings. I like to call it my mid week elixir vitae.
6. The mother of lunches – there’s
nothing that can quite compare to a session of unstoppable laughter in the
company of the one person who truly understands our smallest of indispositions.
Good food adds to our weekly reward, along with a cheeky glass of white poison.
7. Saying No – It’s a terribly
difficult thing to say to someone, I find it exceptionally hard. This week I
was asked if I was attending an upcoming social event. My answer was “No I will
not be attending.” I said nothing more, and nor did I fall into the trap of
having to give an explanation.
8. Listened – No advice was given, no
opinions were passed, no questions were asked. He just wanted to talk and my
duty was to listen.
9. The wonder of Stevie Wonder – I fell
into a time capsule on Monday afternoon and indulged in Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions for a good hour. Music is
the most underrated form of therapy!
10. Philanthropy-
I taught someone how to run. It
sounds ludicrous and borderline comical doesn’t it? It’s like me saying I
taught someone how to sleep or eat. Well I too didn’t think it would be such a
big deal. Yet, correcting their technique, observing their posture, movement
and breathing process was all a part of this simple process called running. I experienced what researchers
called the “helper’s high” and the act of helping others can be key to finding
happiness.
My self-explorative analysis would
not have happened if I had not read this simple quote, so I can say the 11th
positive can be accounted as the
quote itself. I want to wish all of you a week ahead that most certainly should
include positives, but also one with a few negatives. I say this because as
human beings we are incapable of appreciating the sunshine until a heavy
rainfall showers us. Today it’s been raining all day where I live, and had it
not rained, I wouldn’t have consciously sat down to write this post.
I leave you with that thought, in
most given negatives there will always be a positive which is merely hiding…
just give it time to allow itself to be revealed.