Small Stuff and Details

Delwyn of "A Hazy Moon" and I had a conversation
this past weekend
about details
and how hard it is to establish
a consistent balance of happiness
when you haven't fallen in love with the little stuff

(especially if you make a career
out of dissatisfaction with the little stuff).

When you get right down to it,
life amounts to a whole lot of details added together.
Individual moments, strung on the threads of our lives, like pearls.

We experience delight and dismay moment by moment,
reacting to what's here and now,
being present to what's occurring
unless we're all wadded up in what happened in the past
or what we fear might befall us in the future.

Love hinges on a whole lot of details, too:
seeing some and celebrating them; ignoring others.

To maintain equanimity in life, despite all the ups and downs,
requires a deep knowing that all things pass,
regardless of how desperately we want to hang on,
no matter how intense our fear that things will never change.

It necessitates making dissatisfaction an occasional visitor,
not a permanent resident.

All we are is a result of what we have thought.
- Buddha

It's all a matter of choice:
do we want to let our thoughts burden us with suffering,
or do we want to move in another direction?


poefusion said…
I've always appreciated the little things in life as they can bring great joy and have quiet often in mine. Love your pics. Have a great day.
Bee said…
So: relish the good details and ignore (as much as possible) the annoying ones?
Anonymous said…
I'm all for the little things and the finer details. without them, the big picture often isnt clear enough.
will said…
I recall a geology professor discussing various theories and explanations on the topic of geomorphology and he said: "There are two types of people, splitters and lumpers". His point was there are those that study small details and others who see a bigger picture and very often neither can see what the other sees.

Overall, I'd say, our sensing organs have limits - we don't see full spectrum nor do we hear all decibels. We build tools to expand our senses and yet we still can't observe the tiniest of particles nor the immensity of the continuum.

Some get by, other pretend to - while a few make guesses and once in a while get it right.
I try to practice mindfulness--living and being in the present moment, but it's hard when old resentments, anger flare up. You can't suppress, either, because it's coiled up in there like a snake ready to strike. Maybe a punching bag would help? I know yoga does.
rebecca said…
i love your words today...
right there with you...relishing details.
beth said…
amen !

perfectly said !!

and with my camera in my hand...the little things, the smallest of details... are HUGE in my heart !
Delwyn said…
Well said Meri

Life is made largely of simple little things and how we respond to them. The momentous highs, while heavenly, are few and far between.
Beth perfectly suggests (I think) that the camera has the ability to amplify the details and bring us from them into a sense wonder and awe.

For me these little things are the harbingers and carriers of happiness, and not the job, the great novel, the creation or the lover....

I don't think that it's a question of seeing the details over the big picture or vice versa - thats more about perception...

I think it is more about our attitudes and philosophy of life;
how we give value to those smaller events, details, scenes and happenings that occur daily. How we give them a place in our hearts and spirits and thoughts.

Happy Days

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