By Staff
Lindsey Sherrill, Guest Columnist
Oh no. I realized it was almost Tuesday again already and there I sat completely blank without a thing to write about. Funny how someone with a mouth as big as mine can ever run out of things to say. But unfortunately, today I had. I racked my brain and searched my notebook full of ideas I'd jotted down, all to no avail. And then I ran across something I'd written a while back that put everything into perspective. It read, "Writing is about taking everyday life and showing people the beauty of the little things."
Last weekend one of my friends had said, in regard to this kind of thing, that writing a column was n like most obsessions or hobbies n only fun for the first couple of weeks. I have to disagree. Writing is more than just a passing fancy or hobby for me. It's what I love to do. Yes, deadlines and proofreading and rewriting do get old. Put putting pen to paper never does for me. I look at it this way: Life is a story. I just put it into words. When I think about writing that way, how can I ever grow tired of it? And how could I possibly ever find myself out of inspiration?
Maybe what I really want to do is to make people think. How many times do we all get so busy with the so-called "big things" and "important stuff" that we forget to slow down for just a second to notice all those tiny, seemingly insignificant details that make life worthwhile? Do we remember to "stop and smell the roses?" Or are we so caught up in life's dramas that we fail to notice that the roses are even blooming? Do I get so hung up when I'm writing on trying to be profound or to say something that's never been said before that I forget what my real goal was in the first place: showing people the beauty of the little things.
I think we all forget to look at all life's little blessings most of the time, especially in today's fast paced, I-want-it-now world. But think about all those beautiful tiny details. Bare feet. Crisp new notebooks. The first sip of a soft drink. Daffodils. Baby toes. New paperbacks. The smell of freshly cut grass. And now think about life if all those things were gone. It would be pretty empty.
The point is, do we remember to notice these? To take all the pleasure the little things in life can give? Sometimes, in the middle of our hectic, crazy lives they can be real life savers. Just to stop for a few seconds and notice a child's laugh or a sunset can change your whole point of view. Sometimes when we focus on the little things, the big picture can seem a whole lot clearer. Sometimes it's the little things n like a note on a scrap of paper I'd forgotten n that give back our perspective and help us remember what is really important.
So stop whatever you're doing for a second and breathe. Notice something? The roses are blooming all around you.