It’s the little things that count!

Life can be tough and complicated, no matter how much we try to simplify with the positive outlook of the Law of Attraction and other simplistic approaches. Do not misunderstand. I am in favor of looking at the sunny side of life, but sometimes our daily life can be a struggle. For me personally, I’m on an especially tight budget as I try to keep working as a freelancer and until I earn some moola. One of the costs that I am trying to stretch as much as I can is related to cosmetics. One of the most frustrating things for me is pulling expensive eye cream out of a miniscule size bottle, only to have the pump sink into nothingness. Now I know there is more cream in there, so I uncap it as best I can and try to get the precious elixir out. This is a monthly fight and the result is that I dump the offending bottle with that much-needed cream still on the bottom and sides. But this time it was different! Suddenly I realized that I could grab a swab and retrieve the leftover cream and put off another trip to Sam’s Club for a few days, while fighting those fine lines of wisdom around my postpartum blues. Why I never thought of this before, I don’t know, but this little thought was enough to put a smile on my face for days.

Continuing along the “little things” lines, I was horrified last week when I parked in a parking spot at a local coffee shop next to a moving car, with no one inside! While trying to figure out what was going on, a man came out of the cafeteria with two cups of coffee. I told him that I was worried when I realized the car was running and he said it was running all the time. He keeps the car running as he runs into the cafeteria. I was absolutely stunned. I have been living in Charlotte, NC for two and a half years and would never leave my car running and unattended, even in my driveway! When I commented to the gentleman that we could never do something like this in Los Angeles, he replied that he had been living in Charlotte for 14 years and had never had a problem.

Good luck to him. The arrogance of his statement, which meant reading between the lines, in this Charlotte neighborhood it was safe to leave the car with the keys in the ignition, reminded me of another arrogant statement made to me. Years ago I worked for a wealthy political “celebrity.” I was in our office in Century City and the riots in Los Angeles had just broken out. From our high-rise offices I could literally see parts of Los Angeles smoking. My employer called and asked me to come to work from his home office in Beverly Hills. I told him I didn’t feel safe. He replied, “They will never come here.” So again, reading between the lines, he wasn’t concerned about my safety, because I certainly didn’t live in Beverly Hills, and he had a total arrogance that his neighborhood, Beverly Hills, would be strictly closed against bullies and rioters. . I am proud to say that I stood up to him and left for the safety of my little apartment.

So back to the little things, those little gestures that make a difference. Getting the eye cream out of the non-pumpable holder or taking on a stalking boss who doesn’t give a damn about your safety. These are the highlights of our day. My big-little effort for 2008 is to use a reusable grocery bag every time I shop instead of plastic or paper. You would go a step further and make someone else’s day happy with a small gesture, such as an encouraging or loving text message. Maybe a handwritten note (not an email!) For a friend. How about you tell someone you love that you appreciate them? Simple gestures, a great reward, for you and for them. Give it a try!