The Little Things Count
“Little things are big.” – Yogi Berra
As stated in my previous blog, my roommate and I are nerds, big nerds, especially where Harry Potter is concerned. Last week, we finished re-watching all of the movies together, something we had endeavored to do every available week night since she moved in. As we watched the final movie, I couldn’t help scolding the television, as I’m sure some of you often find yourselves doing as well, because the characters portrayed were not clueing in to something I found rather obvious.
For those of you who are familiar with Harry Potter, you’ll remember that in the movies, though Polyjuice potion allowed the characters to temporarily assume the physical appearance of someone else, it did not alter the voices of the characters (with the exception of Mad Eye which I attribute to the true character being a better mimic). My qualm with this was simply that if I had frequent dealings with someone, I would be able to tell if their voices had drastically changed and certainly be able to identify the difference if I knew the voice of the person’s true identity.
Personally, I'd like to think that if my closest friends or family suddenly sounded like someone else, I’d know because I know their voices. I notice little things about them, just as others I am close to notice little things about me.
Recently, I called my little sister because I was having a bit of a rough morning and wanted to catch up. As it turns out, she was in a car with friends coming back from a fair so I told her to have fun and that I would talk to her later. Afterall, no one really wants to vent on speaker phone with a bunch of strangers listening in now do they?
My sister soon messaged me asking if I was alright, I told her I was okay now and reiterated that I would talk to her later. I should explain, it wasn’t urgent, it was just some emotions catching up with me after the incident with my roommate at the Quidditch match (see previous post for details: Muggles Should Not Play Quidditch ).
When my sister was free, she called me. Though I had not told her anything was going on, though I had not said anything specific to give it away or sounded sad, she knew something was up. She had even told her friends as much after I had called, friends who told her they had absolutely no idea that anything was amiss based on the short phone call. She also later showed them my message response saying “I am okay now” to prove to them there had in fact been something going on.
My point is this, when you know someone, when you really get to know them, it’s the little things that matter most. It’s the tiniest details that make the relationship special, that mark the different between an acquaintance and having a bond. I have one friend that always remembers that I don’t like to buy or drink from plastic water bottles, that I much prefer using my reusable water bottle. I have another friend that remembers, without fail, that I do not drink soda. My best friends can take one look at my face, see me smiling, and know without a doubt that something is going on. They notice little things in the way I speak, in the way I redirect a certain question, or in the way my smile doesn’t quite reach my eyes. They notice me, and I try to do the same for them.
Years ago, as I am sure is the case with many siblings, my sister and I did not get along, were usually at odds, and certainly didn’t care to notice the little things about each other. Discussing that short phone call after the fact made us each very happy because it served as a testament to just how far we had come, just how close we had become. We’ve gone from yelling at each other over little misunderstandings, to telling each other pretty much everything and noticing pretty much everything about each other.
We’ve gone from being biological sisters, to being sisters in life and friendship (Mom, the Kleenex is beside you hehe).
Life isn’t about the big things, everyone can see and be distracted by the big things. The true magic is found in the little things we notice whether the sun catches them a certain way or we stumble upon them in the shadows. It’s the little things that make the moments special, the little things that make people special.
Does anyone in particular come to mind? Is there someone that always seems to notice the little things about you, who would notice if your voice was suddenly that of someone else? Don’t forget to let them know how much they mean to you, how much you value the little things. Life is far too short to let the little things go unnoticed or unappreciated, to go without acknowledging just how big a role those little perceptions and moments mean in life.
For those of you who are familiar with Harry Potter, you’ll remember that in the movies, though Polyjuice potion allowed the characters to temporarily assume the physical appearance of someone else, it did not alter the voices of the characters (with the exception of Mad Eye which I attribute to the true character being a better mimic). My qualm with this was simply that if I had frequent dealings with someone, I would be able to tell if their voices had drastically changed and certainly be able to identify the difference if I knew the voice of the person’s true identity.
Personally, I'd like to think that if my closest friends or family suddenly sounded like someone else, I’d know because I know their voices. I notice little things about them, just as others I am close to notice little things about me.
Recently, I called my little sister because I was having a bit of a rough morning and wanted to catch up. As it turns out, she was in a car with friends coming back from a fair so I told her to have fun and that I would talk to her later. Afterall, no one really wants to vent on speaker phone with a bunch of strangers listening in now do they?
My sister soon messaged me asking if I was alright, I told her I was okay now and reiterated that I would talk to her later. I should explain, it wasn’t urgent, it was just some emotions catching up with me after the incident with my roommate at the Quidditch match (see previous post for details: Muggles Should Not Play Quidditch ).
When my sister was free, she called me. Though I had not told her anything was going on, though I had not said anything specific to give it away or sounded sad, she knew something was up. She had even told her friends as much after I had called, friends who told her they had absolutely no idea that anything was amiss based on the short phone call. She also later showed them my message response saying “I am okay now” to prove to them there had in fact been something going on.
My point is this, when you know someone, when you really get to know them, it’s the little things that matter most. It’s the tiniest details that make the relationship special, that mark the different between an acquaintance and having a bond. I have one friend that always remembers that I don’t like to buy or drink from plastic water bottles, that I much prefer using my reusable water bottle. I have another friend that remembers, without fail, that I do not drink soda. My best friends can take one look at my face, see me smiling, and know without a doubt that something is going on. They notice little things in the way I speak, in the way I redirect a certain question, or in the way my smile doesn’t quite reach my eyes. They notice me, and I try to do the same for them.
Years ago, as I am sure is the case with many siblings, my sister and I did not get along, were usually at odds, and certainly didn’t care to notice the little things about each other. Discussing that short phone call after the fact made us each very happy because it served as a testament to just how far we had come, just how close we had become. We’ve gone from yelling at each other over little misunderstandings, to telling each other pretty much everything and noticing pretty much everything about each other.
We’ve gone from being biological sisters, to being sisters in life and friendship (Mom, the Kleenex is beside you hehe).
Life isn’t about the big things, everyone can see and be distracted by the big things. The true magic is found in the little things we notice whether the sun catches them a certain way or we stumble upon them in the shadows. It’s the little things that make the moments special, the little things that make people special.
Does anyone in particular come to mind? Is there someone that always seems to notice the little things about you, who would notice if your voice was suddenly that of someone else? Don’t forget to let them know how much they mean to you, how much you value the little things. Life is far too short to let the little things go unnoticed or unappreciated, to go without acknowledging just how big a role those little perceptions and moments mean in life.
That being said, I may not know who all of you bras and bros reading these posts are but the fact that you take the time out of your busy lives to read my posts, to comment, and to email, really means a lot to me. Thank you, you are all amazing and it is because of you that I keep writing.
Cheers!
The Bra Street Rambler
Thank for the shout out Big Sis xoxo
ReplyDeleteOf course, love you Lil Sis xoxo
Delete