Have you ever heard the expression, “Appreciate the little things?”
No doubt it’s something you have heard a friend or loved one say when encouraging you to take a break from a rigorous schedule, or they might have said it as a gentle reminder.
Well, I never really understood the true meaning of that saying until recently. Little things have the power to move us in ways we don’t expect.
It can be a nice neighbor who helps you shovel out your driveway or parking stall after a snowstorm. They don’t know you, but since you looked like you might need a hand with the 5 feet of snow burying your car, they decided to help. This happened to me after the last snowstorm hit our area, and it made my day. It was a little thing that put me in a good mood for the rest of the week. It reminded me there are still people who think beyond themselves – think of others. This young man had just gotten off the bus and was headed home. He was wearing a backpack, so he could have been coming from school or even work. Who knows? The point is he saw me bundled up and dreading the task before me – shoveling so I could make it to the post office before it closed.
There’s nothing like a Good Samaritan. And I’m happy to say I live near one.
We are not only moved by people, but we can be touched by something we see or hear. It could be a song or a movie.
For as long as I can remember, I have been deathly afraid of dogs and cats. While I have medical allergies to those animals, my phobia is greater. It is hard for people to understand at times, but I’m happy to report many respect I might not be as excited about Fido’s new collar as they are or whether or not he looks good in the latest family photo. The biggest thing some people have to understand is as friendly as they think their dog or cat might be, he or she is not the animal that will miraculously make me love dogs and cats. I have heard it all:
“He’s older than you.”
“She wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“They can barely run.”
“He’s more afraid of you than you are of him.”
The last of these really gets me going because if that animal knew just how afraid I was of it, it would be ashamed of its owner for downplaying my fear. After all, many people say animals can feel when something is wrong. Well, trying to convince someone in fear they are irrational is, in my opinion, wrong.
I’ve been living with this fear for 28 years. It will not go away overnight, in a few days or even years. However, I recently viewed the film, “Marley and Me” and gained a little more perspective into why people work so hard to help me shed by fear.
Marley was energetic, disobedient and messy. He was also protective, loving and a member of the family. I cried so hard at the end of that movie even though I am not a pet owner.
After watching it, for a split second I wished I could experience the companionship one can have with an animal – something that is always neutral and ever loyal. That little thing made me appreciate why people love their animals so much.
I seldom watch movies in which one of the lead actors is a dog. After all, the reason I have the fear I do is when I was about 5 years old, an aunt showed me the movie “Cujo.” I will let you Google it to see why this was a bad idea for a 5-year-old. That is an example of a little thing that left a big scar.