Friday, June 26, 2009

The Little Things...

You know, the big things in life either happen or they don't. You learn to roll with the punches, I think, and watch as certain events fall into place (or not) and help define your future.

It's the little things, however, that get us from day to day. If you can't learn to see the joy in the smaller things in life, you're going to be rather miserable and unable to experience the kind of placid contentment that I shoot for in my everyday life.

For example.

I'm living with a family here in PA that has an 18 year old son who has a severe mental disability. Mattie, as we call him, is a fantasatic kid who loves to bang on things and make noise all day long. He loves to clap, and clap he does. All day long. He also doesn't like to clap alone. He'll grab your hands and make you clap with him. And you know, it would be a chore if he didn't get so much joy out of it! The first day I was there I was clapping for probably 30 minutes straight and Mattie didn't stop giggling the whole time. It's impossible not to smile with him when something as simple as clapping keeps him so happy! It's awesome!

It really helps you put things into perspective. Mattie doesn't care about getting into colleges or girls or any of the other stupid things kids at his age are worried about. He wants to clap. And he wants you to clap with him. And that suffices to keep him happy. Awesome.

And another example.

Yesterday was a bad day for me in the studios. I'm sore so my body isn't responding to the corrections I was trying to give it like I'd like it to and I had a nazi teacher woman who was rather demanding for my first class, so I just started my day feeling worthless and awkward. That mentality followed me around all day even though I tried to dispell it. Still, I had men's technique class at the end of the day and finished up my afternoon on a mediocre note.

At the end of the class, one of my new friends Ben (who's probably 12) followed me out of the classroom and said, "That was a great class for you! Your attitude aribesque was fantastic!" That made my whole day better. I didn't care that my teachers were beating me up all day. Ben thought I had a great attitude aribesque.

It's the little things, my friends. Let's try to remember that.

2 comments:

secret agent woman said...

Overlooking the bit about girls being a stupid thing to be worrying about, It is true that much of happiness depends on perspective.

Anonymous said...

I'd agree, so much is about perspective. Some days its entirely too hard to see the whole picture, or entire possibilities.

Sadness creeps in when were sure,"This is as good as it gets."

Or we become upset when we thought or atleast believed when we achieved enough knowledge, we'd all be happier.

I have two things to say to you in regards to previous posts...

There comes a time for collecting and attaining knowledge... bigger yet, is the day we start applying that knowledge. You may never know everything there is to know about religion or philosophy... and on the chance that one day you do... what good is it, if you dont live by the wisdom you have gained?

Maybe its not how much you know or how much you seek... just at some point you start living the things that ring true for you.

And finally, I read somewhere that we are divine spirits having a human experience. Not humans searching for the ultimate divine experience.

I think even the wisest human being (male or female) still knows frustration and sorrow as much as they know happiness and peace.

-A