When was the last time you took a second to celebrate something small? Maybe even something seemingly insubstantial and "ordinary."
Today, it's easier than ever to get caught up in the momentous milestones that everyone curates and shares online. After a while, we might even mistake that as the norm if that's all we're inundated with. If the grand is all we engage with, the everyday feels less than.
That's why I've started reminding myself to pause and appreciate the little things. In Meditations, Marcus Aurelius writes, "Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them." Stars are visible most nights, even if we don't look up. Does that make them any less special? Of course not. That's why it's such a wonderful practice to take something like a starry sky, an unexpected smile from a stranger, or a warm cup of coffee and hold them close. Cherish it all.
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Some "small" things I've recently celebrated:
- Finally sharing my first YouTube video, even though my inner critic kept saying "not yet."
- Two friends read a screenplay I wrote and gave me the encouragement to dust it off and give it another pass.
- Starbucks introduced protein drinksβhuge!
- Being able to go to back-to-back concerts with family, when we once thought it was a luxury out of our reach.
- Finishing three books after quite the reading slump.
- Having co-workers/friends that I cannot only laugh deeply with, but also ask for help when I have car trouble.
- The once-hidden gem that is Dr. Pepper Cherry Zero Sugar.
- San Antonio added another indie bookstore to its roster!
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So, friends, look up and look around. Even when it doesn't feel like it, there's something worth celebrating closer than you'd think. Because imagine the joy we'd feel when something really extraordinary did come our way? We would be all the more appreciative and ecstatic because of practice, I'd think.
π’ If you've had something small (or even grand) worth celebrating, reply and let me know!
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