Crocus. Tiny purple flowers that poke their heads out of the ground at the first sign of spring. I watch for the small patch in my garden...waiting in anticipation for warmer, sunnier days ahead.
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Crocus. A little thing, yes. But one that always brings a smile to my face with their appearance.
As John Eldredge says in his book, Get Your Life Back: Everyday Practices for a World Gone Mad, “It’s the little things that build a beautiful life.”
We often put so much focus on the big things that we lose sight of the small, simple ones, yet most significant, that build a beautiful life.
Sharing a laugh with a friend. Walking hand in hand at sunset. Throwing a stick to the goofy dog over and over again. A hug from a man-child on the way out the door. A quiet pause in scripture. Enjoying the first blooms of Spring.
Annie Dillard says, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing.”
How am I filling my bucket, my days? Focusing primarily on the big things or enjoying all the little moments along the way? Far more little pebbles can fill my bucket than large rocks.
What am I putting in my bucket? Those small moments...are they consumed head down on my phone, scrolling other’s lives that breeds discontent, filled with newsreels that foster fear, distracted by all the bells and whistles that pull me away from what truly matters.
Like John Eldredge, I want to get my life back in a world that has gone mad. I want to open my eyes and put away the distractions: to look for the little Crocus each Spring and the first Robin’s nest. To enjoy date night with my husband in undivided attention. To pause when my child comes in the room to talk. To enjoy the simple beauty all around me...in the middle of a complicated world.
I want to build a beautiful life with little things.
I encourage you to read Eldredge’s book. It is a breath of fresh air.