Small Things

I want to write about the small things, the miracles I walk past and fail to notice all day long. Water droplets are an example of this. Each morning, this lovely tree, is decorated with water droplets. Each of the water droplets mirrors the world. I could not zoom in close enough to make that miracle visible, but trust me, it is there. I suspect, if I could get close enough, I'd see my reflection there. What is even more miraculous than their beauty is that they are so marvelously fluid. When the sun warms the tree, they will drop to the ground, watering the plants below, each of these also a universe in themselves. These tiny water beads give themselves so gracefully: sky to tree to earth, and the cycle repeats itself. They do not hold on to one form, but release and transform, perfect in each stage of this cycle.

I am noticing the small things not only because of their beauty, but as a sort of mindfulness practice. When my world feels like it is closing in and my mind is caught in a repetitive loop of worry and "what if's," I turn to the small things. I notice their perfection and I remember. I am no different. I am not separate, but part of this same, extraordinary wholeness, a universe that extends beyond my imagining. Just as the water droplet has its place and its cycles, so I participate in my own cycles. Contemplating the small things always returns me to a sense of peace: everything is what it is, and in that "is-ness" is a coherence and a perfection.

The practice is simple, but it is recognizing the need for it that is the challenge. I must first NOTICE that I am caught in one of mind's cycles of fear or control. I must recognize this, before I can choose otherwise. Usually, I know it by the stress it is causing, the discomfort. When I recognize that discomfort, I find a small things to contemplate, to savor, to appreciate. Water droplet. The flame of a burning candle. The sound of my dog dreaming. The impossible green of a blade of spring grass. A freckle on the back of my hand. Anything will do. Give it your full attention and I guarantee it will unfold itself to you.

Let the small things take you back home to yourself. Try it now. Find your place in the world of small things, lose yourself there, and the big things will deflate to their true size. I promise.