Small Stuff

Lately, I've been increasingly bothered by what used to seem like really small things: petty little actions made by others that, in the grand scheme of things, shouldn't really be that big of a deal, but suddenly add up in my mind in such a way that the cumulative effect causes an almost unreasonable anger/sadness inside me. When did people stop paying attention to each other?

When you take any of these actions in a vacuum, they don't seem like much -- they can easily be excused one-by-one: that person must be in a rush, or having a bad day, or a myriad of other excuses that we all have for not being considerate.

However, it seems to me that, more than ever before, there is an overwhelming amount of people, all choosing to make these selfish, petty decisions, taking actions that indicate their thoughts are focused solely on their own little world and they see little beyond its boundaries.

They may in grand ways still be generous and kind, thoughtful and caring, but its these small things that truly show the character of a person - the choices they make when they think no one they know is looking.

I'd like to think that my daily actions show that I care about others - people I know and love, and those I do not know, strangers on the road during rush hour or in-line at the crowded grocery store. I'm not deluded enough to think that I am successful in this at all times (I have a terrible temper when it comes to rush hour and school carpool lines in particular), but I do know that I take care to try and strive to grow in this way. I make a conscious effort to consider others in my little daily actions.

I know that it is these actions -- these choices I make when I think no one is looking -- that really define the person I am... and I want that person to be someone I am proud of.

What do your little daily actions say about you? Do they match up with the person you want to be?

Journey together

Each of us travels on a journey. We each face our own obstacles. We each have those things that are worth struggling for -- the things that, as Wallace states, we love so much that we would die for without thinking twice.

We share the journey in that we each take the journey. What we find in our own journey, the obstacles, the struggles, the pathways, will sometimes be similar to what others experience but often will be unique to us. We cannot truly know another's journey -- we can only know our own. It makes no sense to compare -- what good does that do to anyone?

Instead support one another along the journey that we are all taking -- care for one another, acknowledge and empathize with the hardships of each other, and be kind to each other. Our struggles and obstacles my be different, but we can share the journey together.