You might have heard the phrase, “It’s the little things that matter most.” Humans are simple, and while it really is the little things that make us happy, words play an important role in how we see things. If something makes you happy, why should it be considered “little?”
Even though we all live on the same planet, everyone experiences life differently. You can grow up in the same household as your siblings but have different recollections of how your shared childhood went. I think that’s the beauty of life. The vast possibilities of each person’s view offer different perspectives on our same, but different journeys.
After a recent bond of dark chocolate with a good friend of mine, they turned and said to me, “You would enjoy the finer things in life.” This phrase and what it represents has been stuck in my mind ever since.
If you asked me a year ago what I consider to be “the finer things”, like most people, I would have said luxury, financial freedom, and material belongings that probably cost more than I could ever imagine. After careful conviction, I’ve come to notice that “the finer things’’ in life are fairly simple: it’s what makes us happy. The minuscule yet extraordinary things that contribute to each person’s individual journey and character.
While we all live different lives, we all have the collective experience of existing. And existing is difficult. Life is hard. Of course, I understand being present in the moments we want so badly to be over isn’t easy. This is the part where we appreciate the minuscule yet extraordinary things.
For example, lampposts bring me immense joy. There is something so poetic about a street being lit up at night by a group of lights whose only job is to bring a sense of comfort to anyone who may be passing through. The lamppost outside my bedroom window turns on at the same time every night: 7:17 p.m. Although I have days full of uncertainty, or periods of my life I feel I don’t know what I’m doing, I know the lamppost will turn on every night at 7:17 p.m. Something as simple as a lamppost is part of my own “finer things” in life.
Our individuality opens up a plethora of possibilities that could be considered the finer things. From the way you wake up to the sun shining in your room, to catching up with an old friend after what felt like forever. A friendly conversation with a stranger brings one person joy while hearing a nostalgic song brings joy to the next.
I no longer call these extraordinary things “the little things”. They are now, and always have been, “the finer things”. Learn what makes your life so fine.