Bite Marks on My Tongue

The bite marks on our tongue don't show.  Though I've said this for years, I shared it this week with two friends I've known for 15 years, who hadn't heard me say it.  Many scars from things done and undone show.  But, when we refrain from uttering unkind remarks, the bite marks on our tongue never show.  I'd not thought of the corollary before, but the resulting goodwill manifests in many visible ways.

Little Irritants

On one of my morning runs this week, something didn't feel quite right.  I stopped and removed a tiny twig, about the size of a half of a toothpick, from an indentation in my running shoe. That's all it took to rectify the situation.  This incident reminded me that countless little irritations are easily eliminated.  However, we sometimes just live with them, rather than take the time to make things better.

Little Things Matter

In his new book, Little Things Matter, Todd Smith shares 100 simple and practical ways to improve our lives. He vividly demonstrates that the big things in life are a series of little things. His advice is applicable for any age and stage of life. And he has a blog of the same name, LittleThingsMatter.com.

A friend who commented positively about my blog told me about Todd several months ago and I've been enjoying his posts ever since.  In December, I mentioned his blog while giving a presentation.  One of the audience members told me after the speech that he'd just published a book.  I continue to enjoy the tremendous ways that everything is connected. She told Todd that I'd promoted his blog at this forum and he sent a note of thanks with a copy of his book.  Todd lives in Sarasota, Florida; the woman who connected us lives in San Antonio and I'm in Houston. 

Little Things

Little things can brighten our days:

• an unexpected compliment
• a note from a friend
• a call from a loved one
• a child's laugh
• a baby's smile
• a sale at a favorite store
• sunshine after the rain
• the first bloom in the garden
• a hot bath
• a cold drink
• the driver who acknowledges your silent plea to change lanes
• finding the perfect gift
• generating a great idea in a meeting
• checking one more item off your to-do list
• reconnecting with an old friend
• being recommended by a friend or colleague
• sitting in front of a cozy fireplace
• starting a new book
• a cat's purr
• solving a puzzle
• enjoying a great meal
• coming home

In our haste we can miss some of life's treasured moments.