The Little Things

The "little things" in our lives are often unnoticed and unappreciated. While watching the 2006 film Stranger Than Fiction, I couldn't help but be moved by the closing quote. The film is about Harold Crick (Will Ferrell), an IRS auditor who finds himself the subject of author Kay Eiffel's (Emma Thomas) novel by hearing her impeccably accurate narration inside his head.

"Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies. And, fortunately, when there aren't any cookies, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention hospital gurneys and nose plugs, an uneaten Danish, soft-spoken secrets, and Fender Stratocasters, and maybe the occasional piece of fiction. And we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective for a much larger and nobler cause. They are here to save our lives."

While I cannot relate to hospital gurneys, nose plugs, or Fender Stratocasters, I have come to be conscious of and relish these small yet significant events. Especially at such an uncertain and humble point in my life!