I’m in Singapore, having breakfast. My son sent me a photo of the back of his car—he successfully navigated the DMVs of two states and moved his car registration to where he lives now. New plates!
This made me all teary-eyed. It’s the connection across the world to someone I love. It’s watching a child successful as an adult.
And don’t take that wrong. “New license plates, what’s the big deal?” Nah. He’s extremely capable. This is a no big deal for him.
But! It’s the 10,000 little things that matter.
For him, dealing with the DMV and insurance and not having a screwdriver handy and all of the impediments between him and a goal. These are adult life skills, as essential as remembering to eat.
For me, the utter joy of watching the bird leave the nest and start to soar, higher and higher.
The little things matter. I’m writing this to remind myself—just as I write all this stuff here to remember them. Funny, though. I haven’t gone back to read my old stuff. 😀 That’s the point, innit? Write to remember. Read what I wrote to re-remember.
Do the little things. Make the bed. Eat incrementally healthier than yesterday, if you can. Exercise a bit today. Always create negative entropy. The compounding effect of decades of incrementally directional actions is astonishing. In a good direction and a bad, self-destructive direction. I’m living proof of it.
World without end. Amen.