I think there is a certain amount of preciousness in the little things.
Flowers growing through the sidewalk, seeing the start of a tree in a tiny flower pot. The innocent beginning of a relationship. Or even seemingly meaningless questions, like, ” Hey, did you happen to eat today?” Or, ” How did you sleep last night?” It always seems to me that no one quite notices these little things until they don’t have it anymore. Maybe a relationship ended and you miss the way they used to get flustered when you complimented them, or how they were scared of spiders. And now everytime you see a spider you think of them and how scared they get and how you plafully mocked them about it. Or even perhaps someone you loved has died and you miss how they were always there to ask if you had brushed your teeth before you went to bed.
Even so, I like to tell people the small things I notice about them, hopefully when they are in a particulary bad place, they will think of how I noticed that miniscule thing and how I would miss them. Seeing and acknowledging the small things might not seem that important, but for some people, it could be the only thing that they are waiting for. To know if someone cares. To know if someone cares if they had made their bed, or taken their meds, or simply told their pets that they love them.
I know as someone who has depression and anxiety, that being acknowledged for the smallest of things is such a huge relief. It takes a lot of effort for me to eat just a single orange slice, and knowing that someone noticed and said something as cliche as, ” Good job, I’m proud of you. Thank you for eating today. ” is an amazing feeling.
I like to get excited about the little things too. Seeing a mother clean her child’s face? Yep, to me it shows that she cares about the child. A bird found a french fry? For all I know that bird has had the worst of luck finding any food for its’ family. Maybe that measly french fry saved a bird family.
I’m not exactly sure where I was going with this, but if you can, express to your friends and family that you notice their little things. Ask them if they ate today, if they had slept okay. It may not make any sense to them or make a big difference in the grand scheme of things, but I like to think that I’m not the only one out there that appreciates the preciousness of the small things.