It really is the little things that make a big difference in our lives.  These “little things” can include a ready smile by someone you love, who loves you too.  One can have an absolutely horrific day, but that smile can change everything and you can feel okay again.  It really matters.

When a friend stops by and you are not home, a note just saying that they had dropped by can make a difference.  Simple acts of politeness can change the mood of a perfect stranger. Just opening a door, or letting someone into a line of backed up traffic can have significance.

I have found, that visiting a person who is lonely can mean everything to that person.  Acknowledgement of another human being, however inconsequential it may seem to the person giving it, can be the moment that changes the day and makes life bearable for the person who is being visited.

I realized, just the other day, that being listened to, and heard when one is upset, is overwhelmingly profound.  When it happened to me, I was astonished by the feeling of relief and the tears that flowed just because I had been able to trust someone enough to be totally vulnerable.  And just by someone taking the time and care to do this for me, the burdens, I had been carrying around with me, vanished.

So, it has occurred to me, as I am writing this, that these are not such ”little things.” Maybe they seem small because they do not cost money. But there many things far more valuable than money or things, even in this materialistic world.  These things are our actions. And they may be big or small, take lots of time or just seconds. Our actions, when they are positive and given freely, create a better place.  Simple, yet powerful, are the seemingly “little things” that make a big difference in our lives.