The Little Things

Have you ever noticed that human beings are always waiting for "the next big thing"?  Cars, movies, fashion trends, books...we are so busy looking for the "big" things that we miss the "small" things that can really make a difference.  This notion really got my attention yesterday.  I have undertaken several renovation projects at my house over the past few years.  My aim has been to improve my life and lift my spirits.  In my bathroom, I  had the old fiberglass tube/shower removed, a new tile shower installed, new tile laid on the floor and new paint on the walls.  A couple of years after that, I bought all new appliances for my kitchen, new tile put down on the floor, granite counter tops and tile back splash installed.  I love these improvements.  It is really a joy to cook in my new kitchen and I really love my shower.  I have been looking at my living room and planning some improvements there also.  I have thought about painting, maybe a new area rug and even some new furniture.  The room seemed very crowded.  I have two overstuffed chairs with detached ottomans.  Steve & I decided several years ago that recliners just didn't seem to hold up to the heavy use they were getting at our house and that ottomans might last longer.  But lately, they always seem to be in the way.  As my two dogs race up and down the hallway and through the living room as they chase each other in play, the ottomans go careening across the floor.  One chair is so close to the doorway from the hall into the living room that I was always stumbling over it.  I even went so far as to stop by Turner's Furniture store yesterday to look at recliners, chairs and chaises.  I soon realized that I was going to have to spend close to $500 to purchase a new chair and then I had to figure out what I would do with the chairs that were already in my living room.  On the way home from the furniture store, I had an epiphany.  Why not just re-arrange the furniture and see if I could make more room.  I moved one of my chairs & ottoman across the room and voila...the room seemed larger!  How easy was that?  I sat in my "new" room for the rest of the afternoon and evening and marveled at the simplicity of this solution.  If simply moving a chair across the room could make it feel like I had enlarged the area, what small thing could I re-arrange in my life to open my mind and refresh my attitude?  I haven't found it yet, but I intend to try very hard to discover it this year.  It will probably turn out to be something so simple & obvious that I will wonder, "Why didn't I notice this before?"