But after a couple of weeks of listing things I was grateful for, I came to see that the little things were everything. The little things were what I held on to at the end of the day. Single jokes that gave me the giggles. A beautiful flower arrangement, viewed through the window of a café. The fact that my cat came to cuddle me when she saw I was sad. These things gave me hope, pleasure, solace. Together, they added up to a fulfilling life. If a simple flower arrangement could make this world just a little more bearable, then perhaps my own small actions meant more than I was giving them credit for. Maybe when I made dinner, or listened to a friend rant, or complimented a woman on her incredible garden, I was helping make this world survivable for others. Perhaps that evening, when tallying up their own wins and losses for the day, someone would think of something I’d done and smile.
— Stephanie Foo, What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma (Ballantine Books, February 22, 2022)
Notes:
- Book: Highly Recommended.
- Review: NPR – ‘What My Bones Know’ is Stephanie Foo’s memoir on living with complex PTSD (Feb 27, 2022)
- Portrait: HuckMag by Bryan Derballa
Live & Learn 
Like the butterfly effect, or a pebble dropped into a lake…each action is a catalyst for another action…why not let it be kindness?
LikeLiked by 4 people
That’s it!
LikeLike
Always the little things…
LikeLiked by 2 people
yes, and it’s important to recognize these –
LikeLiked by 1 person
Esp that!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Duh💐💖🙏
LikeLike
Laughing…something so obvious, so simple can be so so difficult for some of us (me included)
LikeLiked by 1 person
And so we remind ourselves … learn from our best loved peeps and pets … and begin to really live it.
LikeLike
Exactly!
LikeLiked by 1 person
So much truth here. When I look back over my life and the experiences that have made the deepest impressions (both good and bad) it is not the grand gestures, though they can be a kick. It is the simplest of things, the smallest of moments, that redound.
LikeLike
That’s it Lori….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Really, really love this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s astonishing how the ‘little kindnesses’ creep up EVERYWHERE lately. So many blog posts, but also articles in papers, in personal interactions…. And everybody describes them in such great words. Another kindness all on its own.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes. Exactly. Beautifully stated.
LikeLike