The Little Things No. 56

The more time that passes, the more I confront the fact that life is all about the little things. The things that make up a day, a week, a month, a year are so small but add up so quickly. Micro moments of joy, pain, or sorrow can color a lifetime, or at least a part of it. Some people call them moments, others call them glimmers. The effort we put into appreciating the small things builds up to create a more joyful life.

While the bad things may take up more attention sometimes, the joyful or even neutral moments are what we need to pay more attention to. I have always noticed little things. The way a raindrop runs down a window, how light reflects off the surface of water or the smell of lilacs in spring or the pages of a new book. If all I paid attention to was work, my phone or my struggles, I would miss out on a lifetime of joy. I’m not the kind of person that can live only for the weekends. Yet, I work so much it is hard to find time in the week for simply living.

This month, I am grateful for living in the countryside of New England. With nature beginning to shift into autumn, it’s easier to notice the little things from crab apples hanging off the tree in our backyard to the reds and oranges of the first autumn leaves.

September went by too quickly, but I did pause here and there to notice the little things. Here are a few of them:

Goldenrod by the “secret garden” swing behind the cottage.

Apples on the tree behind the cottage we rent. Quiet moments on the front porch catching up on issues of my favorite magazines. We have a new outdoor rug by the sitting area and the front porch is looking cozier than ever.  Gentle snuggles with our sweet girl, Madeleine. She is a sensitive and sweet soul.  Two third place ribbons from my photos at the 100th annual Bethlehem Fair.  Picking crab apples to make my first ever crab apple jam. Time spent in my own Secret Garden. We’ll have to take the swing down before winter arrives and I’m making the most of it while we are here in this moment. Apple picking with my friend Brie at March Farm. After Brie and I went apple picking, we made homemade tomato soup and a fancy grilled cheese. Brie and I recycled Yoplait yogurt jars into candle holders with napkins, Mod Podge and gold paint. Determined to spend more time in the lower fields, Matthew ordered two Adirondack chairs and placed them behind the barn with two side tables. It has been rainy, but we’ve already spent an evening watching the sunset and hope to have dinner or read down there too. It is peaceful down the hill.  Thank you for appreciating the little things with me.