Little Things

(No, I am not going to write about the One Direction song, although it's right on the verge of good and disgusting.)

" Little things, it turns out, are extremely important to happiness..." Gretchen Rubin

A few years ago, when TJ Maxx actually carried an excellent selection of books, I bought "The Book of Awesome" by Neil Pasricha. This book started out as a blog. (www.1000awesomethings.com )

It is so simple, yet provides that little boost of gratitude in your heart for the truly simple and little things in life that make our hearts keep tickin'. This book is something that you can easily pick up and put back down. For a lack of a better term, its a great toilet book. I have been reading this on and off for a few years now- opening it up and reading through a few awesome things here and there to keep my heart on track. I have made it a point to keep it out and read it more often lately. Therefore, my mind has been on this topic much more lately.

As most of you know, my sweet dad has been through some tough stuff the past three weeks and is currently healing in a rehabilitation facility after a full hip replacement surgery. So, this means lots of time in hospitals, nursing homes, doctors and rehab facilities.... lots of nurses, doctors, pills, tasteless meals and moaning geriatrics. It is tough. I am only there for a fraction of the time that my dad and step-mom are there, and it is still hard to be positive after being in those conditions. 

On Tuesday I was there visiting and me, my sister and my stepmom went outside to get something in my car. As you exit the facility you have to enter in a three digit code into a keypad in order for the door to unlock for you to exit or enter. There was a man coming into the facility right before we were leaving. He punched in the code so the door was already unlocked and open upon our arrival. My stepmom, who was walking in front of me at the time, looked back and said, "Isn't it so great when the door is already unlocked?" Awesome.

Because my mind has been in this direction for a while , it really made me smile. Such a tiny thing in life can really bring in some much needed positivity.

Don't ignore the little things like:

The smell of a library.

Twisting the lid off of a jar after no one else can.

The first meal after a cold.

Getting the perfect ketchup to fries ratio.

The smell of fresh cut grass.

When your mail man waves at you.

When the light comes in the blinds on your bed just right.

And of course, when someone unlocks the door in front of you.