Little Things; A Lottery of Emotion, Passion, Patriotism, Love and Friendship

You know how, when you are younger the grown ups talk about how when you get older you will appreciate things more? Well now that I am the grown up(oh shit) I realize they were right. DAMMIT! Just one more thing for my mother to say "I told you so" to. But really, I sit here is a rather introspective mood in a retrospective place and think about how the little things are so very important.

For anyone that knows me, I am a highly emotional person. I cry at the drop of a hat. I am moved to tears by a great piece of music, or lyrics. I cry at points in action movies that remind me of little things in my own life. Silly I know. I have a no animal movie rule in my house. If my kids want to watch an animal movie, they have to do it without me and forget Animal Planet. Old Yeller is strictly forbidden in my home and I feel like making your child watch it is tantamount to child abuse. Animals give unconditional love. They are innocent creatures who do not hate, they do not kill for pleasure and they do not do anything except grace us lowly humans with their beauty. OK so you get the picture, emotional does not begin to describe how I can sometimes be.

I am passionate beyond words. I am patriotic and I am fierce, especially when it comes to my country. I have great respect for the people in the military who, in my opinion are selfless. They, by choice, serve this nation so that me and my family can walk free, and voice our opinions and worship as we choose. That is why this morning when I was listening to the radio news I became infuriated by a story about the national anthem.

It seems that a group of students was visiting the Lincoln Memorial at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. One of them felt so moved by the moment that they began to sing the Star Spangled Banner. One by one the rest of the group joined in and before you knew it joyous strains of "and the rockets red glare" could be heard up and down the Mall. A little thing, I know, a beautiful thing for sure. But as things would have it, a ranger from the parks service that is in charge of monitoring the National Mall, showed up to tell these emotional, passionate and patriotic young people to cease and desist. All I can say is WTF?

I say, cease and desist what?  Love of country?  Patriotic duty?  What exactly are they supposed to stop doing?  The park ranger was interviewed on the news and just kept saying the same thing over and over again whenever he was asked.  It went like this "Its not the content, its the location"  Apparently singing the national anthem in our nation's capital is considered a demonstration.  An act of defiance, if you will.  Dare I say, an act of terrorism?  What happens if you decide to whistle Yankee Doodle while walking from the Lincoln Memorial to the Jefferson Memorial?  I guess that could be considered a treasonous act!  I digress, now I know that there have to be rules, but this one sucks.  It makes me want to go to Washington D.C. and set up a music stand and sing the whole freaking patriotic song book at the top of my lungs.  Go ahead, throw me in jail.  Others have been persecuted for less.  

Again little things, like the national anthem, we sing it at baseball games and school graduations, we learn it when we are in elementary school and sometimes it feels like punishment, sometimes it can even seem unnecessary.  But not anymore.  It is vital, it represents our respect for those who went before us to forge our nation into a great and free place.  So that we could have the ability to do whatever we wanted.  I think we forget that sometimes and it is sad.  Little things indeed.  Mom was right AGAIN!  Please don't let her know that I said that.

Another little thing that I think we just don't think about is love.  On the surface love might not seem so little, but it is the little things that express our love for others.  For instance, when my husband folds the laundry, that is an expression of love.  Even though it is something that needs to be done, it is still an expression of love.  Because it says, I am a part of this, I take this seriously and I do it because I love my family.  Whatever it is laundry, cooking dinner, game night, it doesn't matter, it is an expression of love.  I once heard a saying "Excellence is love in action."  Think about it and it is true, striving to be your best is love in action.  Being a good person is love in action, cooking for your family is love in action. Being a good friend is love in action.  You get the picture.  Basically every act we perform from cleaning the bathroom to giving a hug is love in action.

Friendship is another little thing that we take for granted.  Your friends, your posse, the group that you associate with most.  The people outside your family (or not), whom you consider family, the guys and gals who are never supposed to hurt you but sometimes do.  They can be your family for that matter, who do you know who says their best friend is their husband or their mother?  Even so, we still can take this for granted and when it is not there, we realize how much we need it.  I even have friends I have never met in person.  

Today I watched a YouTube video that a friend posted.  It was about cooking a curry.  I commented on how I was interested in curries because I had never tried them and one thing led to another and soon I will be getting a package from her with some bay and curry leaves that she grew herself in her garden in Washington state.  3000 miles away from North Carolina, is a woman, whom I have never met in person, who is sending me herbs that she grew in her backyard.  I have won the lottery!  The lottery of little things.  You won too!  Take a look around, they are there, you just have to recognize them and keep them in your heart.  They are what you will miss when they are not there.  Your child's smile when they are sleeping, your husband snoring in the bed next to you, your dogs kisses when you have come home from a hard day and the herbs that you will add to your dinner that were sent from a friend from far away.  Little things indeed.

Those are my thought for today from the wreckage of my mind.  Eclectic though they may be, they are all mine.  Thanks for stopping by on this journey we call life.  Noreen