All The Small Things

Sorry if I have put that Blink182 song in your head, but since yesterday I have been thinking about all the small things. Yesterday I took some time at lunch to walk across campus to the library to pick up a book on student engagement that was suggested to me at a conference I was at last week. As I walked to the library, up the stairs to the second floor,  to the circulations desk, and back to my office I realized that all of that journey took about 7 minutes which is pretty impressive. That is the value and the beauty of a smaller campus. You can get somewhere quickly and still have time for all the other things.

Smaller campuses are also great for building community. You get to know people, and can have meaningful conversations. Sometimes these small things are the ones that matter the most. Sometimes the small things add up to a bigger thing that means a lot. This morning I took time to wash the dishes in the sink so I could come home to a clean kitchen after work and start cooking my supper and lunch for the next day. This small thing of cleaning up now will lead to a bigger thing later in the day.

My cat is another constant reminder of the small things. He seemingly values the time I spend with him, however small, because it’s different to the time he’s alone. His expressive eyes also let me know when our time together is too short; he’s good with guilt.

I have also been trying to get rid of a cold I was gifted over the long weekend (how’s that for a small thing). I spent most of the weekend in bed which was great, but I’m still not 100% better (I’d give myself 70% right now). As a result all I want to do after work is go to bed, which is fine because rest is totally important, but it means I am putting off all the small (like blogging) and large (like polishing a conference paper) things I should be doing. I also feel that my need for bed and rest is probably due to the fact that my landlord needs to look at my furnace and turn it on for the winter. It’s now about 0 or -1 outside at night so it’s pretty cold in my house (I’d say about 15 or so at the moment) and your desire to do anything of course slows down in those conditions. I also know that I have the privilege of a roof over my head and that there are many who sleep outside in -1. To me not having my furnace working is a small thing, to others not having heat at all is a very large thing.

It comes down to perspective and the importance of not imposing that perspective. Remember what is small for you is not for others, and having awareness and the ability to reflect on another’s perspective is but a small thing we can do.