The Small Things

This is going to be a short post because I just woke up from a nap and have that feeling that my head weighs a lot. 

Yesterday, my yearbook staff and I met a deadline that I truly did not believe we would make a week ago.  I posted on twitter and facebook a screenshot of a little message from Jostens that said, "Congratulations on meeting your deadline." in a little green bar.  A fellow yearbook teacher replied, "I love that green notification soooo much every time."  Even better, after the staff meets their final deadline, little fireworks appear on the screen.  Those fireworks are amazing.

It occurs to me that most people think of the big things in life (weddings, proms, expensive gifts, etc.) when they think of things that make them happy.  However, the vast majority of smiles in your life come from the small things, like tiny digital fireworks, the sound of your favorite shoes clicking against the ground, or when you catch the eye of a friend in a meeting, knowing that you two are having the same thought.

Just think of the joy Charlie Brown has in finding a pencil with the teeth marks of "that little red-headed girl" and realizing she's human.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKKjqzkGo3o

Let's teach our kids to find joy in little things instead of those things that must be bought or planned.  It doesn't even have to be put in your lesson plan.  You can just model it day in and day out.