Little Things

I was able to slip away for a few days this weekend to go home and visit my parents.   Now I’ll admit, weekends with my parents are not always the most stimulating, but this one was actually quite a whirlwind.  I found myself attending different functions with them every single day I was home.  I don’t get it.  Sometimes it seems as if they are busier now than they used to be with two kids living at home.  They occupy their time with benefit dinners, church functions, volunteering, and running random errands.  At times I wonder how they keep it all straight! 

But truth be told, I love spending time with my folks.  It’s different looking at them now as a college student.  Constantly living with them for 18 years never gave me the opportunity to miss or appreciate them for who they are as individuals.  Now that I am away from home I feel like I am able to cherish them in a different light, quirks and all.  I’m able to joke and talk with them more than I used to, and they are now the ones that I go to for advice on certain matters. Yes, I actually seek out their opinions instead of trying to dodge them!  Their wisdom and insight is not always clear to me, but I trust it because their advice has always gotten me ahead in the past. And while I hate to admit it, I know I act more and more like them every day.  Is that a good or bad thing?  Well, I’m not sure yet ;)

I received an unexpected phone call while I was home this particular weekend.  It happened to be my 8^th grade neighbor, who I babysat for numerous years.  She was quiet and very shy on the phone, but eventually got up the courage to ask me to go on a run with her.  I felt….well, admiration and anxiety all at the same time!  Anxiety because I had not gone running in a few months, and admiration because she exemplified a level of respect for me.  I never told her that I was a runner, so she must have seen me out in the past.  Anyway, our run was good, aside from my obnoxious huffing and inability to keep up with her.  She kept looking at me like I was a chain smoker.  That’s not true, I exaggerate….but I’m sure she was thinking it.

After what seemed like 6 miles, we completed our 2 mile run and as we were stretching her brother came out to join us.  He’s only six years old, but has a vocabulary like that of a fourth grader.  And on top of that, he’s the cutest little freckle-faced boy you’ve ever seen.  He came running toward me with a basketball in hand and asked if I would play with him for a bit.  Panting, I said, “Of course! I would love to play with you,” because who can turn down a face like that.  Even though I was out of breath and probably looked like a sweaty mess, he was all smiles and was just grateful that I was playing with him.  In between one of his shots he turned to me and asked, “Do you remember that one time when you had a campfire and invited us over? We ate s’mores and then your mom brought us popcorn, too.  That was so much fun.”  I just stood there for a second while he continued dribbling the ball.  I replied, “You know what, I DO remember that. And you’re right, it was fun.  We’ll have to do that again this summer.”  I really couldn’t believe that he had remembered that night.  It must have been at least 2 years ago that we had that campfire, and it’s a funny thing because we hadn’t even planned on inviting them over.  My brother and I had started a bonfire and, last minute, asked if the neighbor kids wanted to join us.  They were over maybe an hour.  We ate popcorn and s’mores, just like he had mentioned.  He remembered every detail of that night, and to us it seemed like no big deal.  But here, years later, that memory has stayed with him. 

Memories have a way of impacting us.  They are not always happy memories like that of my neighbor, but they still shape who we are. I can’t explain exactly what I felt that day while playing basketball, but it made me think about the small actions that we make every day.  How the simplest gesture can impact someone else immensely.  I hope that the small things I do for others impact them in a positive way.  Though I know that certain gestures I make have an opposite effect.  Sometimes our actions and behaviors are performed subconsciously, but, for me anyway, I find that I have to be mindful and make an effort.  However, if making a conscious effort results in bringing others anything closely related to the joy that my cute freckle-faced neighbor felt, then count me in. That feeling is worth more than money can buy.