Little Things

Spring Equinox has dawned, and with it, has brought the renewal of beauty. This time of year, brings the fruition of leaves budding on trees, the beginning growth of flowers and grass, and yes, even renewed love is in the air. After the long, dreary days of Winter, Spring brings renewed hope.

The start of each new Equinox, brings a happiness and sort of renewal. With Spring, we know the temps will be warming, the flowers will begin blooming, the trees will bring back their beautiful leaves and our yards will begin turning the most beautiful shade of emerald. As life has taught us, even with all the beauty and renewal, there will be a few dips and dives to content with, but all of them seem to be tolerable in Spring. The time of rejuvenation, and renewal.

With all things renewing and refreshing in nature, it's the little things we neglect to notice throughout the year. The chirping of the birds, are a welcomed sound in the Spring. The beauty of seeing the precious buds on each tree, and the greening of the grass; makes us feel alive again. It's the feeling of coming out of the most beautiful and restful sleep. Yet, we rapidly forget this beauty. We feel the Spring for a short time, and then begin looking to the next "restart" of seasons, Summer. Then we restart and look forward to Fall, then Winter. Will the increasing speed at which we live our lives, we are constantly neglecting the little things, the things that mean the most.

In nature, it's the birds chirping, the grass greening, the budding trees, and the increase in temps. In our relationships, it's the little things that can make or break them. Just as the increasing speed of life, has caused us to forget the beauty of nature; the speed of life, causes to forget the beauty of relationships. Love and the little things are replaced with stress- financial worries, over scheduling, and jobs. Relationships become disposable, not intentionally, but by the speed in which life has moved. Instead of nurturing our relationships with love, care, respect and yes, even the little things; we are forced into stress of increasing costs but not pay, keeping up with the times, and limiting ourselves because of feeling stuck.

Loyalty is a remarkable trait that is missed by so many. With a job, a loyal employee can only remain loyal if it remains a viable choice. A great employee is ruined when their efforts are not rewarded, and their work is constantly undermined. When the loyalty is causing hardships, that loyalty can not remain intact. Then another hardship comes into play, moving on. When is the best time to do so? That's a tough call. Jumping ship when it's sinking, seems logical, unless you are loyal. What begins as little things, to keep moving forward in a job and keep a loyalty intact, snowballs when years of loyalty has shown to be not enough. The process of moving on, and beginning a new chapter in life can be terrifying! When is the right time? Where do you begin? It's the little things, those first steps of making your new chapter begin, that will make a big difference. Once you realize your value, you realize that the ship is sinking, and you become too stressed; that is the time.

Just as loyalty in a job is invaluable, and the little things can make or break a great employee, the same holds true in relationships. The break neck speed of life, causes us to forget how it's not necessarily the big things that can kill a relationship, but the neglect of the little things that will dissolve a relationship just as quickly. We are all guilty of neglecting our relationships from time to time. We have all taken them for granted, and assume they will always be there. We date and put our best foot forward, until we tie the knot. Then life, stress, children, jobs and finances take away from a relationship; and without constant effort, will kill it. We are inadequately prepared for relationships. We forget or don't care that our partners were once so important to us. We assume, they will always be there; to have our backs, to be our partners in all aspects of life. All the while, we are neglecting them. We forget the little things. We neglect putting effort into those relationships because our outside lives become all consuming. Our lives are moving at twice the speed of light, our jobs are stressful, the finances are horrible, we are running from one kid event to another, and when the day is coming to an end, we neglect the very partner we chose to spend our lives with. We are too tired, too stressed, or too overwhelmed. The relationship becomes more of sharing a home, than a partnership.

The little things in life have always made the greatest differences. In jobs, it's the loyalty, going a step beyond your job title, being there when you are scheduled to be there and doing the best you can for your employer. In relationships, it's the little things can and will make or break it. Taking time to acknowledge your partner, communication, putting time and effort in, being present when you are together and supporting each other. It's taking the time to be a couple even with life flying by.

Remember the little things, they really are the bigger things, in the grand scheme of life.
Salli