Mirror Magazine - Little things that matter

One small thing you never thought will make you feel happy… One small thing that could lead you to the path to eternity… One small thing you never thought would make you learn something profound… An important lesson discovered, but one that fades away with time.

Can you remember that small lesson you learnt, maybe by trail and error, that taught you to make your own tea? Guess, you would be thinking that pouring your own cup of tea is so menial, you assume that it cannot be counted as ‘Learning’ in that profound process called ‘lessons in life.’

True… Pouring your own cup of tea, making your bed and the like fall into the topic of ‘small and simple’ things that can be unaccountable in the learning process. Most often, they are neglected, as we are always looking for the bigger challenges to learn lessons in life.

Achini (22) says, “We wait for the bigger events to make us learn those so-called ‘lessons.’ We waited to finish the O/level and A/level examinations to learn academic lessons. We wait for some other examination in our pursuit of knowledge. But what one does not remember is that the small things we learn during or in between the bigger lessons are the ones which will help us to achieve beyond what we consider bigger lessons. Like I learnt to use simple notes on placards and revise those short notes to remember the bigger picture. This helped me at my A/levels, and also in other examinations as well.”

Amila (21) says, “Some people forget the small things, especially when their social status is above the rest. Most of the time, they tend to focus on the bigger achievements. But I feel it is the smaller things that are going to make a difference in life. In school, I was leading the cricket team, my coach told me to have the correct mindset prior to getting ready for the match. This really helped me get the best from the game I played. Later on that lesson I learnt has helped me to stay ahead of the games, and get the best out of any situation.”

Sometimes without mastering that particular small thing, you may never be able to get going. Eighteen-year-old Kamal* speaks about a small incident that he’ll never forget in his life. “I was not bothered about tying the laces on my shoe, ever since I was a kid. It didn’t bother me in the junior classes, and I always wore shoes without laces. There were many chances I missed in the sports meet, as I was afraid to tell people that I didn’t know how to tie my laces. But then, I had to participate in a cricket match, and that meant I had to wear shoes with laces,” says Kamal. He kept on trying hard to tie the knot, annoyed with himself, and his parents for doing everything for him and never letting him even tie his shoe laces by himself. However, a week later, he knew how it got done.

“I felt great. Maybe no one would even count it as a lesson, but learning it saved me a lot of future embarrassment,” says Kamal.

Surani (22) says that the simple thing she learnt is saying ‘thank you’ to, and asking how the weekend was from the person who cleans the office and brings tea. It would not only brighten their day, but also teach the value of being courteous to others. “These days nobody talks to people. Who knows, someday you might be faced with the same situation, when you are old or in a foreign country, when no one notices you and no one bothers even to smile at you,” says Surani.

Thilini (20) says, “It’s always the small things that teach us bigger lessons. For instance, if you put off a day’s job, no matter how small that thing could be, it may never be done. Small things matter in the long run.”

One must not forget that we all live life for a moment, after all. The bigger days you were once dreaming of, maybe your 21st birthday, your graduation, that big get-together has come and gone. It’s strange that once those great days are gone, we feel strange and left out. Yes, time goes on, but it has never stopped you from learning and enjoying each and every moment you breathe. Likewise, simple tasks, such as knowing how to arrange your room, learning to ride a bicycle or even knowing how to use a pen drive – just may make your bigger task a step easier. So all you folks, list out whatever little things you have done in your life, and be proud that you were able to learn to tie those little laces by your-self!