photo credit: darkpatator
“Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think there are no little things.” ~ Bruce Barton
I think about this often. Sometimes it is hard to fully comprehend.
Our actions, and the ripple effects they have. Today I think about all of this after reading Jen's thought-provoking post, Which way to go?.
Like as I write this. If I wasn't writing this article, I would be doing something else. Perhaps making breakfast. Or driving to the grocery store. Or going out for a run. A host of different things I might be doing if I wasn't here and writing, at this moment. And how this action…writing this right now…is changing the course of my life.
And like right now. Because I chose to write this article, you are here…today…reading it. This one action of mine…writing this…is making a difference in your life. Oh, I would like to think that maybe my words have some profound meaning and may alter how you view life. I am fully aware, though, that this could very easily not be the case. You are reading this, though. Had you not read it, you would have done something completely different. Maybe viewed something else from your computer. Maybe have gone for a walk. Maybe have made a telephone call. It's hard to say, really.
Because I wrote this, my life is altered forever from what it might have been had I not chose to do this. And because you are reading here today, your life, too, is altered forever. And it seems so small. A few words typed on a computer screen. A few words read. Can that really change our life completely?
There are no little things.
Everything we do will alter, in some way, our life…and the lives of others.
How does that settle with you?
This thought floats around in my brain often. How seemingly tiny things can have such deep consequences. Think about this. I oversleep. Because of that, I leave the house in a rush. Because I am rushed, I am not paying attention to the car in front of me. I have an accident. Now I have just altered not only my own life, but also the life of the person in front of me. And had I left the house just ten seconds earlier, or ten seconds later…the consequences would have been completely different.
And that's just only one small example.
There are no little things.
Point 1: We cannot control everything. Some things will happen just because we are where we are, doing what we are doing.
Point 2: If we accept the idea that all of our actions, no matter how small or big, have a far-reaching impact, then does that change at all how we live our life? While we cannot control exactly what will become because of our actions, we can still control the actions we put out into the universe.
What if…
What if we based even just a bit more of the things we do…the little things, the things we don't even think about…what if we based them on more awareness?
Would that change anything?
Perhaps you question, how can more awareness change anything for some of these mundane things…pouring that cup of coffee in the morning, brushing your teeth, taking the dog for a walk, smiling… They seem so simple, perhaps even routine. Think about it, though, as you perhaps…smile. What if that smile invites someone "in"….someone to come up to you who might not otherwise have done that. And what if a wonderful friendship begins because of that. All from a smile…. (or any of our actions, for that matter)
There are no little things.
In this moment you are making a choice. Every choice matters….