Wednesday, September 10, 2003
so i started a train of posts from my friends after they had read either my site, or the correspondent, joe's, site. i'm not saying that everyone wrote on the same topic; i'm saying that it's really cool how someone else can spark that imagination nerve and get you to write again. somehow, we're connected.
i have yet another post.
the "small stuff". everyone has at least heard of the phrase, if they haven't used it in their conversations already. so what actually is the "small stuff" we refer to? logically, it is different for each and every person, but there is a connection among all of them: the adjective in front of the noun. "small": so basically, we're talking about insignificant things that don't matter now, won't ever matter later, right?
or are we? i've heard from both ends. "the small things make up the big picture" on one side, "don't sweat the small stuff" on the other. these sayings are so overused that i'd be surprised if you (the reader) hadn't heard of it before.
consider the former quote. so this means each second counts. am i wasting time right now, typing this jibberish out, or am i managing time correctly by speaking my mind, no matter how incomprehensible my thoughts are? was the simple 'hi' i said to the homeless man considered friendly, or was it mental? was calling my friend to reminisce over inside jokes a waste of his time, or was it his first smile of the day?
then consider the latter quote. i spilled coke on the carpet. oh, well. i'll clean it up, good as new. i forgot to wash the dishes. i can do it tomorrow. i just bought gum for 99 cents, only to find an unopened pack in my purse. the more, the better, i guess. i forgot to tell mom how much i love her today. she probably knows.
both make sense, the mentality behind it. but i wonder... are some people too caught up in the small stuff they miss the finished painting? or are they so focused on the big picture that minute details don't really matter?
both seem detrimental.
i did tell my mom i loved her today. i am glad for that. i did call my friend to laugh about nothing. a trace of a smile is still left on the corner of my mouth. despite all the many other things i have to do, i did post (thanks for reading!). my mind seems lighter. but i didn't pick up the trash in my room. should i have, or can it wait until tomorrow?
i have spilled liquids on carpet before. but i always did clean it up. i have gotten not-so-great grades on tests. but my class grades are always plausible. i have forgotten to do a lot of errands today. i feel guilty, but tomorrow's already here. i did buy a pack of gum for 99 cents. but when i went shopping, i realized i was 84 cents short. if only i hadn't spent that dollar...
as much as i want to forget the details, they are there, just waiting to be corrected. and even as i correct them, there's a whole canvas yearning to be painted. if something, no matter how miniscule, is important to you in some way or form, then it will affect you soon enough. but some things shouldn't weigh you down.
a despicable rumor about you shouldn't break your day, or even let a frown on your face.
just remember though, that even if the above holds true, it still was just a simple smile that we cast at each other that resulted in such an amazing friendship.
it's just that the smile was much more important to me...
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