The Smallest Things

“Life is an end in itself, and the only question as to whether it is worth living is whether you have had enough of it.”

~Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

I learned a very important lesson over this winter break: when all else fails, it’s the smallest things that make life amazing. Sure, sure, it’s been said before and more than a little bit cliche for my taste but I can’t help it if it’s true.

This is my first winter break in college. The nice–and quite surprising–part is I get 6 weeks off before going back to the daily grind. Finals week, for me, was Hell. Like the typical Freshman I had overloaded myself with 7 classes, a total of 17 units, this semester.

When I got home life was just as chaotic as school was. It wasn’t until I started noticing and doing the “little things” that everything (internally at least) started calming down.

I found little pockets of time for me to attend to myself. I grabbed lunch with my friends, finally sat down and read that book I’d been meaning to since September, I bought a cute dress…. Hell, at one point I rented and rode shotgun in a cherry red ’57 Bel Air for awhile.

 

A shot I took of the Bel Air while we were driving back into the city.

Slowly, over the course of 5 weeks, I slowly began to relax. Now the final week of my break is coming to an end and I just wanted to take time to reflect. It’s been a good 5 weeks, even with the craziness of it all.

I also just wanted to share a few of the little things that made my break just that much better.

1. This untitled song (by Will Currie and the Country French)

Originally made for “The Depressing Episode” on the The Cyanide & Happiness Show this song goes with a short animation about a man with cancer and his pregnant wife. This song, when taken out of context, is absolutely beautiful (instead of just plain heartbreaking). The combination of what seems like soft yearning and rawness in the singer’s voice with the slow piano melody transports me to somewhere… Happy. According to the singer’s Twitter account, the song was never meant to be more than a mood setter for the episode but may be releasing a iTunes version some time in the not too distant future.

2. These quotes/poems

3. This comedian (Bo Burnham)

He’s a different type of comedian. The combination of his humor and music makes for a refreshing type of stand up comedy that I really enjoy.

4. This awesome craft (that I will hopefully complete some time this Sunday)

I’ve always been a creative person so when I saw this on Pintrest it pretty much called to me. I recently got into card making–which helps my creative side break from the monotony of school–but this looked completely different, this looked…. Wicked awesome!

A birthday card I made by hand for a classmate last month.

5. This book (We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas)

This book was quite a read, I only have about 10 more chapters to go. Without giving away anything, I can say that it’s one hell of a captivating story about a family in the 20th century. I highly suggest it.

 

So laughter, imagination, and inspiration… That’s whats been keeping me relaxed through the turbulence of life. I hope that these things can create a little pocket of happiness in your life too. Remember, take one day at a time and enjoy life.

 

It’s the little things that make life worth living for.