I think it’s the small things that matter. Life is less the big strokes than it is the smaller ones sometimes even the tiniest of moments that fill you with inexplicable laughter or happiness. I think of them as minutiae – small, tiny, jewels that reverberate through you for longer than the moment they are uttered.
These were my small things this week:
Minutiae #1
Speed skating practice takes place at dinner hour so I’m always hungry. I arrive early where I usually meet my speed skating compatriot Cristian. He’s hungry too. We talk mostly about cake. Butter creams, mocha, chocolate, we take a dip into pie (apple but lemon meringue trumps all pie) and then we veer back to cake. Beautiful, rich, creamy delicious cake. This week when I arrived he looked at me and screamed “CAKE” and then I screamed “CAKE” and then we killed ourselves laughing. That was it. I love that he is a kid and that our age difference means nothing because in these moments we’re both kids.
Minutiae #2
My sister of Don Quixote fame saves animals too. I haven’t talked to her for a while because she’s been away. But then this week there was an email with the subject line “Hoi” and first sentence – “Bees three days ago elephants today.” That was it. And it made me laugh and laugh and it filled me up with something more – one tiny small step for something I care about. I love that it’s the first thing she communicates to me in weeks. Sisterly morse code.
Minutiae #3
Dave tells me Mount Etna has erupted and we’re both in awe because we have seen Mount Etna and a small piece of her volcanic matter was carried home with us when we visited Sicily this spring. But more importantly, the moment he announced it I jumped up and told him exactly what volcanic eruptions do to the stock and flow of carbon in the atmosphere. I’m not sure who was more shocked me or him. But the shock/awe/weirdness made us both laugh uproariously. What the hell? English/artsy girl can learn science.
Minutiae #4
I had a realization this week that I LOVE my climate change course and I’m forever grateful that I am slowly overcoming my fear of not being able to understand science. And now this whole cool new world has been opened up to me and I see the world in a different way. Thanks world!
Minutiae #5
When people pop into your life out of the blue who are extraordinarily generous. As though they’re popping in to say, keep going, nudging you, reminding you that you are on the right path. And it’s the feeling that you’re seen. Wow, now that feels good. Generosity. It’s as important to receive as it is to give. Dave had this happen to him this week and I had it happen. And it feels good.
Minutiae #6
That Hannavas Nirom my London niece likes me enough to say she hopes we can celebrate our birthdays together some day. And I hope so too.
Minutiae #7
Probably the world knew that Bob Barker was an animal rights activist but I didn’t. And how cool was that, that he donated generously of his time and $1 million of his own money to help three elephants in Toronto’s zoo to go to a better home at the PAWS sanctuary in California.
Condofire 