It's The Little Things That Matter

It's the little things that makes us smile everyday. It's the meaningless things that make you get up every morning and smile at the world, ready to start a new day as the sun rises in the horizon.


As Lucia la de Flor, a good friend wrote on her blog, "I wake up happy, because although it is a bad day the sum of my life makes me think otherwise. I smile with the lungs, with the heart, with the throat, it is not necessary to open the lips and show our teeth." So do the same!


I came across a poem today in my Myth, Ritual and Symbol class. It is about how gratitude and how we can learn to appreciate every moment in life. Here it is and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Aimless Love

This morning as I walked along the lakeshore,

I fell in love with a wren

and later in the day with a mouse

the cat had dropped under the dining room table.

In the shadows of an autumn evening,

I fell for a seamstress

still at her machine in the tailor’s window,

and later for a bowl of broth,

steam rising like smoke from a naval battle.

This is the best kind of love, I thought,

without recompense, without gifts,

or unkind words, without suspicion,

or silence on the telephone.

The love of the chestnut,

the jazz cap and one hand on the wheel.

No lust, no slam of the door –

the love of the miniature orange tree,

the clean white shirt, the hot evening shower,

the highway that cuts across Florida.

No waiting, no huffiness, or rancor –

just a twinge every now and then

for the wren who had built her nest

on a low branch overhanging the water

and for the dead mouse,

still dressed in its light brown suit.

But my heart is always propped up

in a field on its tripod,

ready for the next arrow.

After I carried the mouse by the tail

to a pile of leaves in the woods,

I found myself standing at the bathroom sink

gazing down affectionately at the soap,

so patient and soluble,

so at home in its pale green soap dish.

I could feel myself falling again

as I felt its turning in my wet hands

and caught the scent of lavender and stone.

~ Billy Collins ~

Two Inspirational Addresses

Throughout my high school years and the three semesters at Dominican University of CA I have come across two speeches. As a sophomore at Sonoma Valley High School I was presented to Steve Job's Commencement Address to Stanford and also as a sophomore at DU of CA, just a couple of weeks ago I came across J.K. Rowling's Commencement Address to Harvard. I was touched by both speeches. They do not cover the same topics, but each have incredible messages. Both J.K. Rowling and Steve Jobs have become great inspirations, unfortunately Jobs' is being given more recognition now that he is not with is than when he still walked among us. But I cannot complaint because he left a legacy behind, he revolutionized the world with his inventions, he changed animated movies, he,... he was a great human being. Hopefully there is a different path for J.K. Rowling, and that her work becomes more appreciated now that she is still with us.

I really urge you to listen to the following addresses and leave your opinion. Thank you.

In 2008, the Harry Potter series author, J.K. Rowling, gave a great Commencement Address to the graduating class at Harvard. What I liked about Rowling's address was that she talked about "failure" being a good thing. Without "failure" it is almost impossible to learn, and most importantly without imagination we are not really human beings. When Rowling referred to imagination she was not talking about creating a magical story or a world like Hogwarts; what she meant is that we as humans have the opportunity to use our imagination to put ourselves in other peoples shoes. Yes, empathy. Without empathy, I am sure this world would be a total chaos.

Now I come to the second video. This video is about what I think was the world's luckiest and smartest human being, Steve Jobs. On 2005, Steve Jobs gave the Commencement Address to Stanford University. Which by the way, Stanford is such a beautiful campus. In Job's address he could not have made it anymore clear to the students and anyone who reads or watches his speech is that, no matter what career one decides to chose to make sure that you love what you are doing. Otherwise, your job will feel like a pain in the butt and life will not be completely full of happiness. In order to live a meaningful life, do the what you like, do not go around with your head down and arms crossed. Speak up, you can make a difference. To me the most important key to life is not to conform, just because someone else tells you to do a certain thing it does not mean that you HAVE to. You have the decision to take a different path for your well being. Like Steve Jobs' said in this particular address, "Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life."