Every time Sophia Petrillo, in the television sitcom The Golden Girls, would say, “Picture it. Sicily…” followed by a year from the distant past, my ears would prick up in anticipation of an unusual yet interesting story. Well, it’s my turn. Picture it… North Carolina, United State of America - Thursday March 11, 2021. Something significant happened on that date. It was significant enough to make me rearrange my podcast schedule to do this impromptu episode. It wasn’t a grand gesture, there were no bells and whistles, no exciting announcement preceded by a drum roll. Some would say it was a simple act, a little thing; but it meant a whole lot to me. It all started with a knock on my classroom door, followed by my administrator’s voice saying, “Good afternoon!”. About ten minutes earlier, I was finishing up my lunch break when I had an idea for an activity, and decided to prepare it for the small group that I would be meeting in about 20 minutes. I was putting the finishing touches on the Google Slides when his arrival shifted my focus. I quickly donned my mask and walked towards the door. I noticed that my colleague next door was also in the hallway and she was talking excitedly. I would soon discover what the excitement was all about.
Well, as I stepped into the hallway my eye caught a cart that my administrator had filled with store bought treats and water bottles. Like I said before, it was just a simple act of kindness, but it was worth a million bucks to me in that moment. It boosted my spirit and the feeling lingered through the rest of the day. It wasn’t teacher appreciation day or any special occasion; it was just an ordinary school day. That thought added to the significance of the gesture. I have reflected on that day many times since then, and it still evokes a good feeling every time. This incident confirmed the idea that the little things mean so much. For the first time on this podcast, I will be sharing a quote from the Hundred Acre Woods courtesy of Winnie the Pooh: “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in our hearts.”
For some people, I know something like this isn’t worth gushing over like I did. However, I believe there is more to this than the simple gesture. It’s the little things. It’s the little things. I keep repeating that phrase and the more I say it, the greater the impression it makes on me.
It also got me thinking about how easy it is to do “little things”. The greater part of the concept of doing little things is the impact it has on others. How great would it be if each of us would do a little thing for just one person each day. Can you imagine the ripple effects? Here’s a quote from Mother Teresa that puts things into perspective and demonstrates that this is an attainable feat for anyone. She said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love”. When we do that, it makes a big difference. Actions fueled by love or even kindness have positive effects that endure. Do you have a story about a time when you were the recipient of an act that could be classified as a “little thing”? Have you done a little thing for someone just because? If you have, well done! If not, why don’t you set a goal to do a little thing for someone today?
For some people, I know something like this isn’t worth gushing over like I did. However, I believe there is more to this than the simple gesture. It’s the little things. It’s the little things. I keep repeating that phrase and the more I say it, the greater the impression it makes on me.
It also got me thinking about how easy it is to do “little things”. The greater part of the concept of doing little things is the impact it has on others. How great would it be if each of us would do a little thing for just one person each day. Can you imagine the ripple effects? Here’s a quote from Mother Teresa that puts things into perspective and demonstrates that this is an attainable feat for anyone. She said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love”. When we do that, it makes a big difference. Actions fueled by love or even kindness have positive effects that endure. Do you have a story about a time when you were the recipient of an act that could be classified as a “little thing”? Have you done a little thing for someone just because? If you have, well done! If not, why don’t you set a goal to do a little thing for someone today?
Allow me to share a few stories about little things. I found these examples in the Reader’s Digest.
1. Top Note
When my husband died unexpectedly, a coworker took me under her wing. Every week for an entire year, she would send me a card saying “Just Thinking of You” or “Hang in There.” She saved my life.--Jerilynn Collette, Burnsville, Minnesota
2. He Kept an Eye on Me
Driving home in a blizzard, I noticed a vehicle trailing close behind me. Suddenly, my tire blew! I pulled off the road, and so did the other car. A man jumped out from behind the wheel and without hesitation changed the flat. “I was going to get off two miles back,” he said. “But I didn’t think that tire looked good.” --Marilyn Attebery, Spokane Valley, Washington
3. Raised Right
Children were playing at the recreation area of an IKEA store when my five-year-old granddaughter motioned for a small boy to stop. She knelt down before him and retied his flopping shoelaces—she had only just learned to tie her own. No words were spoken, but after she finished, both smiled shyly, then turned to race off in different directions. --Sheela Mayes, Olla, Louisiana.
4. A Christmas Story
In January 2006, a fire destroyed a family’s home. In that fire were all the belongings of a six-year-old boy, including his Christmas presents. A classmate from his school who had a birthday around then asked her parents if she could give all her gifts to the boy. That act of kindness will forever warm my heart because the boy is my grandson. --Donna Kachnowski, Lebanon, Connecticut
5. LouAnn’s last flight
For 34 years, LouAnn Alexander worked as a flight attendant. But at the age of 58, she received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Soon, the vivacious mother of two and grandmother-to-be was making plans for hospice care. Her older brother Rex Ridenoure was flying to see Alexander when he asked the flight attendant—an old colleague of Alexander’s, as it turned out—if he could speak to the passengers. He talked about his sister, even passed his phone around the plane so they could see photos of her. He then handed out napkins and asked if they’d write a little something for Alexander. Ninety-six passengers responded. Some drew pictures. One man and his seatmate created flowers out of napkins and swizzle sticks. But mostly, there were warm words: “Your brother made me love you, and I don’t even know you.” And “My favorite quote from when I had two brain tumors: ‘You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.’” Alexander died in April 2016, but Ridenoure never forgot the compassion shown that day. “I’m just amazed that given the opportunity, even total strangers will reach out and show a lot of empathy and concern,” he said.
6. Oh baby!
Rebekka Garvison could feel the passengers’ eyes rolling as she walked toward her seat carrying her newborn, Rylee. They were flying from Kalamazoo, Michigan, to Fort Rucker, Alabama, where Rebekka’s husband was stationed. Minutes into the flight, Rylee wailed. A nearby couple glared, so Rebekka moved. Rylee was still crying when their seatmate, Nyfesha Miller, asked if she could try holding her. Rylee quickly fell asleep in Miller’s arms and stayed that way throughout the flight. “Nyfesha Miller, you will never understand how happy this act of kindness has made my family,” Rebekka wrote on Facebook. “You could’ve just been irritated like everyone else, but you held Rylee the entire flight and let me get some rest and peace of mind.”
I’m sure that the recipients of these random acts of kindness were significantly impacted; hence the submission to Reader’s Digest. I wouldn’t be surprised if many of these persons who reached out to someone in need didn’t think anything of the simple things that they had done. When you are driven by a heart of loving kindness, you’ll know that those little things are just the right things to do.
1. Top Note
When my husband died unexpectedly, a coworker took me under her wing. Every week for an entire year, she would send me a card saying “Just Thinking of You” or “Hang in There.” She saved my life.--Jerilynn Collette, Burnsville, Minnesota
2. He Kept an Eye on Me
Driving home in a blizzard, I noticed a vehicle trailing close behind me. Suddenly, my tire blew! I pulled off the road, and so did the other car. A man jumped out from behind the wheel and without hesitation changed the flat. “I was going to get off two miles back,” he said. “But I didn’t think that tire looked good.” --Marilyn Attebery, Spokane Valley, Washington
3. Raised Right
Children were playing at the recreation area of an IKEA store when my five-year-old granddaughter motioned for a small boy to stop. She knelt down before him and retied his flopping shoelaces—she had only just learned to tie her own. No words were spoken, but after she finished, both smiled shyly, then turned to race off in different directions. --Sheela Mayes, Olla, Louisiana.
4. A Christmas Story
In January 2006, a fire destroyed a family’s home. In that fire were all the belongings of a six-year-old boy, including his Christmas presents. A classmate from his school who had a birthday around then asked her parents if she could give all her gifts to the boy. That act of kindness will forever warm my heart because the boy is my grandson. --Donna Kachnowski, Lebanon, Connecticut
5. LouAnn’s last flight
For 34 years, LouAnn Alexander worked as a flight attendant. But at the age of 58, she received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Soon, the vivacious mother of two and grandmother-to-be was making plans for hospice care. Her older brother Rex Ridenoure was flying to see Alexander when he asked the flight attendant—an old colleague of Alexander’s, as it turned out—if he could speak to the passengers. He talked about his sister, even passed his phone around the plane so they could see photos of her. He then handed out napkins and asked if they’d write a little something for Alexander. Ninety-six passengers responded. Some drew pictures. One man and his seatmate created flowers out of napkins and swizzle sticks. But mostly, there were warm words: “Your brother made me love you, and I don’t even know you.” And “My favorite quote from when I had two brain tumors: ‘You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.’” Alexander died in April 2016, but Ridenoure never forgot the compassion shown that day. “I’m just amazed that given the opportunity, even total strangers will reach out and show a lot of empathy and concern,” he said.
6. Oh baby!
Rebekka Garvison could feel the passengers’ eyes rolling as she walked toward her seat carrying her newborn, Rylee. They were flying from Kalamazoo, Michigan, to Fort Rucker, Alabama, where Rebekka’s husband was stationed. Minutes into the flight, Rylee wailed. A nearby couple glared, so Rebekka moved. Rylee was still crying when their seatmate, Nyfesha Miller, asked if she could try holding her. Rylee quickly fell asleep in Miller’s arms and stayed that way throughout the flight. “Nyfesha Miller, you will never understand how happy this act of kindness has made my family,” Rebekka wrote on Facebook. “You could’ve just been irritated like everyone else, but you held Rylee the entire flight and let me get some rest and peace of mind.”
I’m sure that the recipients of these random acts of kindness were significantly impacted; hence the submission to Reader’s Digest. I wouldn’t be surprised if many of these persons who reached out to someone in need didn’t think anything of the simple things that they had done. When you are driven by a heart of loving kindness, you’ll know that those little things are just the right things to do.
On separate occasions recently while talking with friends and family members, I remembered some experiences from my childhood. I have always been fascinated by childhood memories and wonder why some things are embedded in our minds while others are not. Although I can’t remember her name or face, I recall how special it was for me to walk to school with one of my teachers. I think I was about five or six years old then. Another prominent memory from that time is my grandmother’s ritual whenever I got soaked in the rain. Walking home from school in the rain was fun for me but always concerning for her. As soon as I arrived home, I would immediately have to replace my wet uniform with dry clothes and she would apply Bay Rum to my head and face (not a pleasant experience). The part of that whole ritual that brings a smile to my face is the hot Milo that she would make for me. I can still vividly imagine the smell and taste even now.
I went in search of information related to childhood memories and found an article on a website called www.lastly.com. Here’s what I pulled from that article.
“Typically, the earliest most people recall memories is about the age of 3.5 to four years old. This is around the time that the developing brain starts to maintain its long-term memory function. On a rare occasion, and usually surrounding an extreme or traumatic event, one may be able to remember something that happened before the age of four.
In fact, a majority of first memories surround a somewhat traumatic event early in life. According to a recent survey, these are the top 10 most common first childhood memories:
There are many other memories from my early childhood years that still come to mind although decades have elapsed. There are others that are more current (like the one I shared at the beginning of this episode) that evoke the same feeling of gratitude. I mused about why these memories lingered, and the famous Maya Angelou quote aptly summarizes my theory for why these little things mean so much. She said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.
I went in search of information related to childhood memories and found an article on a website called www.lastly.com. Here’s what I pulled from that article.
“Typically, the earliest most people recall memories is about the age of 3.5 to four years old. This is around the time that the developing brain starts to maintain its long-term memory function. On a rare occasion, and usually surrounding an extreme or traumatic event, one may be able to remember something that happened before the age of four.
In fact, a majority of first memories surround a somewhat traumatic event early in life. According to a recent survey, these are the top 10 most common first childhood memories:
- Trip to the dentist
- Birthday party
- Vacation
- First day of school
- Trip to the doctor
- Being outside
- An accident or injury
- A tooth falling out
- Receiving a gift
- Playing with friends”
There are many other memories from my early childhood years that still come to mind although decades have elapsed. There are others that are more current (like the one I shared at the beginning of this episode) that evoke the same feeling of gratitude. I mused about why these memories lingered, and the famous Maya Angelou quote aptly summarizes my theory for why these little things mean so much. She said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.
I have reflected on this recent incident at work many times, and I tried to figure out why it was so meaningful. I came up with a few reasons.
I’ll leave you with this quote from Anurag Prakash Ray: “Sometimes a little thing you do gives happiness to someone. So never stop doing little things.”
Until next time, walk good and one love. 🖤💚💛
- It was an unexpected, pleasant surprise.
- It was done without fanfare.
- It made me realize that I needed a break, and it was great that someone took the time to facilitate that.
- Living through this pandemic period has helped me to adjust my lens and strive to live with an attitude of gratitude.
I’ll leave you with this quote from Anurag Prakash Ray: “Sometimes a little thing you do gives happiness to someone. So never stop doing little things.”
Until next time, walk good and one love. 🖤💚💛