Little Things are Big!

I sometimes get to the end of the day and think "Oh, my gosh, I haven't done anything all day." But the reality is, I'm counting the absence of 'achievement' things only, like vacuuming the house, the things that show, and are verifiable. But when I look back and evaluate what I've 'done' in that day, how I've spent my time, I'm often surprised at what I discover. While I may not have done the things regarded as 'achieving something' (like tackling the pile of dirty laundry or mowing the lawn), the ways I've filled my time are not exactly a waste of time either. It's just that we think of them that way in our achievement oriented lifestyle, and dismiss them as not valuable enough to be acknowledged.

Today, I stopped to look at a pink-red caterpillar in our lawn, picked some wild blueberries, and stood still long enough to watch a Hummingbird take a rest on a branch through my tall flowers - can you see it in this picture? It's in the enclosed dark space between the leaves of my pink Joe-Pye Weeds. 

I also answered a few emails and swam in our lake (multiple times). I sat for hours opening pdfs, wiki pages, and botany sites to see if I could correctly identify a new aquatic plant - for my own benefit and interest. Going down the proverbial Rabbit Hole out of curiosity is super fun - allow yourself to do it! The curiosity and wonder of childhood is still there, and we adults have been missing out.

My extended shelter-at-home time has allowed me to see value in what I thought were the small things, and to recognize them as worthwhile things to do, in and of themselves, and for no other reason. I've learned to give myself credit for spending time watching a duck family swim by, and for having heard their contact whispers to each other. I'm giving myself permission to learn and explore, just because I'm interested, not necessarily for a particular purpose. My only reason is ... because it's there, and it's been overlooked in the past.

The things I once thought were small are really the big things - they're what make me happy.