Several years ago there was a new attitude – “Don’t Sweat
the Small Stuff and It’s All Small Stuff.” I never fully agreed with that idea,
although I think whoever came up with the idea meant well. The problem as I see
it, is that lots of things in life are built on “small” things.
I mean, think about. There are houses built of bricks. Now
bricks aren’t very big, they’re actually kind of small, but stack enough
together with mortar and you can build a very nice house. Even while the bricks
are being laid, the bricklayer must periodically check that they’re level. If
they’re not, the house won’t last.
If you’ve ever played “Tetris,” then you probably have a
fair idea of what I mean. Making too many little holes in your game can cost
you the game.
The same sort of thing applies to our personal life. How many times have you had one small thing
happen, that even though you brush it off, it almost seems to be the start of a
bunch of small things going wrong? By the end of the day, you’re so tired and
frustrated because a bunch of little things have gone wrong. It’s as if the Universe has conspired to make
your day horrible, using little things.
Then there’s the relationships in our life. Sometimes little
things can add up if they’re undealt with in our relationships. I know I get
impatient with my son when he doesn’t do his chores. I realize that to him they’re
not important; they’re just little things, but they affect how the household
functions overall. If he doesn’t take the recyclables down to the basement for
instance, the little bucket overflows into my kitchen. Then there’s the towels.
He’s expected to fold them after I’ve washed and dried them. If he doesn’t, I
run out of kitchen towels, not to mention bath towels when one of us needs a
bath.
Whether we like it or not, small stuff can add up to big
stuff, which can become a real problem. I think the biggest problem we have is
in deciding what we can truly ignore and what must be dealt with as it happens.
We have to ignore some things like someone cutting us off as we’re driving,
except for honking our horn, but things like household chores or whatever helps
our lives run smoothly, we can’t afford to ignore.
