Little Moments

"The little things? The little moments? They aren't little." - Jon Kabat-Zinn

Life is short. And those little moments make our lives look longer. When we enjoy doing something, we tend to forget the time passing by, and it seems like it is slowly moving for us. If we just stop and take a minute to value the details—the scenery, the smell, the feeling of a moment—then we can truly say that life is worth living.

One time, when my mind was too engaged with doomscrolling through my phone, out of the blue, my little brother grabbed my hand, asking me to play with him. At that moment, he had already scattered all his Legos on the floor and was just waiting for me to sit down next to him. Without a second thought, I got my ass off the chair and sat on the floor. I immediately thought that scrolling was nothing more important than playing with my little brother. We built something together with his Legos that was a bit indecipherable, but he was happy. I put up a cascade of dominoes, and he had fun knocking them down. Those little things were enough for him to laugh and dance. 

And I thought it wasn't the Legos that made him happy, but the mere fact of having someone you can share the fun with.

At that moment, I didn't think of anything else. I just focused on playing with him. At the back of my head, it tells me that I may not get to do it with him anymore when I step on the ladder of adulthood. Then it hits me. This is something that everyone, especially adults, must learn and keep in mind every day. 

We must learn to appreciate every little thing that we have because we never know when they'll be gone or when we'll be gone.

How many times a day do we appreciate the food on our tables? How many times a day do we notice the roof that covers us? How many times a day do we care about our chair, blanket, and clothes? How many times a day are we grateful for having the chance to talk to someone? How many times a day do we thank our hands, feet, and hearts for doing a great job? How many times in a day do we stop and feel our breath going in and out? 

We rarely do this, but being grateful is a choice, and it is liberating. 

I feel lucky that I had the chance to understand the power of gratification. In the middle of chaos, there is always something to be grateful for, and all we need to do is consciously look for it. 

Now, I have these little moments with me that no amount of money can buy. And I will go on making little moments.

I am grateful for the ability to write this.