It’s the Little Things that Matter

Simple gestures hold great power. I learned this in my early 20s while working as a server in a restaurant.

It was a busy lunch hour, and I was waiting on a table of three friends, one of whom was visibly upset. As their meal was wrapping up, I grabbed a dollar from my tip jar and offhandedly purchased a sugar cookie from the checkout counter. When I dropped the check off to their table, I gave the cookie to this man and said, “It looks like you’re having a bad day. I thought maybe you’d appreciate a reminder that there is still some sweetness in the world.” And then they left.

A couple of hours later, one of the friends walked back into the restaurant with a gigantic bouquet of flowers. “A gift for you,” he said, “because that simple gesture of a sugar cookie changed my friend’s life today.” And then he left. And his gift changed my life as well.

Whether it’s a sugar cookie, or a card you send just because you are thinking of someone, the act of making space to reach out and let that person know that you see them and that you care, can never be underestimated. Validation matters!

There is so much healing potential in simply recognizing another human being. We don’t have to have fancy words. We don’t have to fix a problem, or make things better. We don’t even have to offer cheer. Just reaching out let’s someone know that they are seen, that they matter, and that they are not alone.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of sending a card just because, I’d encourage you to give it a try. It’s one of life’s unsung delights. And it might even be a way that you create ripples of change in the world, one little gesture at a time.