Enjoy the little things

The title and theme this week come from one of Woody Harrelson’s character’s mottos in Zombieland (highly recommended if you like stupid zombie humor). In the midst of all the craziness around us, enjoying the little things is more important than ever. In the movie, enjoying many little pleasures helped the characters deal with the post-apocalyptic world in which they lived, and led to bonding between them.

While not quite apocalyptic, 2020 has been one of the most difficult years in a LONG time. We live in a country that is more divided politically, socially, and economically perhaps than ever before, and then there’s that Covid thing. Being bombarded by partisan news stories from all sides, with unbiased reporting a thing of the past, it can be difficult to get the real story; leading many people to mindlessly believe what the network (or worse, website) of their choice spews out – sending us all deeper into a tailspin.

In times like this, and with the holidays upon us (Happy Hanukkah) it’s more important than ever to find joy in this chaos. That’s where the little things come in. Opportunities to enjoy the little things or to create enjoyment from a little act are all around us. Simple stuff, like sharing a laugh with someone – if it’s a stranger, that’s even better – taking a videogame break with your kids, going for a walk or bike ride, or even stepping out to look at the night sky: 12/21 will be the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn when they will be so close they will appear as a single object. Visible in the south/southwest sky just after sunset. Look for the 2 brightest objects midway up from the horizon and watch as they get closer each night (it’s been happening for weeks and it’s been fascinating to watch), culminating in the event that hasn’t been seen in 800 years! Not such a little thing but something that takes little effort and can include the whole family. The Geminids meteor shower is also in high gear this week and catching a glimpse of a shooting star is always magical and brings a childlike smile to my face.

You don’t need to plan the little things, just look for opportunities as you go about your daily activities. For me an opportunity came yesterday when I realized the miniature Stanley Cup trophy I have would make a great Christmas tree topper to replace the star that broke (luckily my wife went along). I guarantee that if you start looking for and grabbing those opportunities, your outlook will brighten, at least for a little while, and maybe that little while will get longer and stronger as you get into the habit of enjoying the little things.

In keeping with this post’s theme, I’ll close here, hopeful that this is one of the little things you enjoy this week.