The Small Things

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 11^th 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.