THE SIMPLE THINGS... (1)

We tend to allow ourselves to get so taken up by the things going on around us, in our everyday lives, that we often take little, SIMPLE things for granted. The convenient and now very popular cliché, “the vicissitudes life!” has assumed a huge proportion of our daily vocabulary, to the detriment of the simple things that make life worth living.


Usually it takes something to happen before we look inwards and realise that those “little things” are the things that really matter. Something usually has to happen before we appreciate that the things that have assumed a position in the archive folder of our minds, are actually the things that should be at the front burner of our everyday thoughts and lives. SIMPLE THINGS!


What are these SIMPLE THINGS? They’re just simple things that cause us to be a blessing to the world around us. The smile that we give the man or the woman on the street that could make the difference to him! And though you may not know her or what the issue with him is, that smile may be all they need to boost their wavering confidence.


It's the telephone call, email or text message to that sister or brother that says you're thinking of them. And though you may not know what challenges he is facing at the time, or whether she has just lost her job, the call may be all that’s needed to say that it’s not all bad....that there’s hope!


It's the child at the park, who leaves her mates to run to mom, or dad, for a brief, but reassuring hug, then goes back to playing with her friends. That’s all she needs to know that she can take on the world. The father who makes out the time to take the children out for the day, while mom gets to spend some time to go to the saloon, or “chin wag” with her friends. It's about making time to play those Nintendo games that we buy for our children, with them. It's the family that finds the time to do things together - quality time that guarantees an incomparable closeness.


It's the guy at work, who selflessly urges you to excel in the team, by suggesting how to do it and lending a hand to make sure it happens. It’s you offering a listening ear to that work colleague. And though you can only imagine what she’s going through from what she tells you, your listening ear may be all she needs to keep her holding on.


It’s about the friend who, though miles away, makes out time in his/her busy schedule to call to "just touch base." It’s also about that nearby friend who slips a little “hello” card under your door. No words uttered, just the note and you know someone is looking out for you. It’s also you adding something to your shopping list for that neighbour across the street. And although he or she never returns the gesture, without knowing it, you may have blessed a family, that had been wondering where their next meal would come from


SIMPLE THINGS are also about looking at the relationships we hold dear to us. It’s about knowing, accepting and appreciating that sometimes, it would seem like things will never work out, despite all we do and all we “invest” in our relationships.


BUT SIMPLY TAKING THE TIME AND COMMITTING TO:


- Learning how to deal with the bumpy parts along the way and looking at the smooth paths ahead: looking for the smooth parts in the bumps (there’s always one), and of course the smooth paths ahead


- Keeping on and never giving up: never give up on something or someone you believe in. Calling to remembrance, the reason(s) why you held on in the first place and hold on to that.


- Working out and walking through the excesses and limitations: yes, the cliché is “everything in moderation,” but we tend to overdo things sometimes. As to the limitations, well, those are the inadequacies that remind us that no one is perfect.


- Focusing on the good and smoothening out the imperfections: Focusing on better things regarding every relationship – business, personal, marriage, work, school, church, etc. are guaranteed "green lights" to them turning out okay.


Simple as these things seem, they may not always be easy to do or even commit to. In truth, some of the people we meet and encounter in our daily lives, tend to stretch our emotional capacity beyond comprehension sometimes. BUT, working on our belief system that we can do these things...that we can commit to doing them....is what convinces us that it’s all worth the try!