When the little thing is actually a very big thing

Earlier this week, I had an important and difficult meeting, and I was nervous about it. The night before, a friend called me to ask me how I was feeling. Then he called again when it was over, wondering how it went. We talked for total of about ten minutes. (We’re guys).In the economy of a day, it was a very little thing.But it wasn’t little. It was very big for me.We think of doing these little things all the time. But the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches aren’t going to make themselves. We think of writing that note, making that call, picking up those donuts (preach it), but then we don’t do it, because we are swallowed up by the fear of facing our email inbox.This blog was 1990’s slow for most of this week. I was on the phone to my webhosting company for what felt like my early forties trying to fix it. Some people have unresolved conflict issues; I have unresolved technology issues. When the technology in my life isn’t working, I lose my mind. In desperation, I finally asked a friend to check it out. In a couple of hours, he fixed it.In the economy of a day, it was a little thing.But it wasn’t little. It was very big for me.A family from our church made us a meal last week, simply because they are awesome. Some people in our family (who shall go unmentioned, but she wrote a great post a few weeks ago on this blog) are somewhat finicky, gluten and dairy free eaters, so this really isn’t a little thing. But it was a big thing. On a stressful day, we ate fresh strawberries and delicious soup, and we didn’t make any of it.Let’ do the little thing. It actually turns out to be the big thing.Write the thank you note. Make the short phone call. Pray for someone. Let the person merge (seriously, people). Buy that book on amazon and send it to someone's house. Sign someone up for a year of People Magazine (you know that person who secretly loves it but is too embarrassed to get it? That’s the person). Do one little thing a day. And you will live a very big life.