The Beauty of Small Things

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An internet meme has been floating around my brain for the past few days. I don’t remember who posted it, or – even worse – who the quote was attributed to, but it went something like this: “Imagine how the world would be if each of us every day did one thing to make it better.”

That’s a powerful image. The world population stands at about 7.9 billion people; even if we subtract those too young or otherwise unable for whatever reason to act, it would still be a tremendous groundswell of good will. It’s entirely likely that few, if any, of these daily good deeds would make headlines – not many of us can lead a march on Selma like the civil rights protesters in the 1960s, or organize a Salt March like Mohandas Gandhi in the 1930s, or care for a dying person off the streets, as the Missionaries of Charity have done and continue to do since Mother Teresa founded the order in 1950.

On the other hand, as Mother Teresa herself said, “We cannot all do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

Small things mean much. Just one example: Years ago, when I visited my brother in an Arkansas hospital after a motorcycle accident put him there, he asked me to get him a power cord for his mobile phone. As stressed as I was, this small errand seemed huge, especially because I didn’t know the town. When I asked the motel clerk if there was a store nearby where I could make the purchase, he pulled a box from under the counter and asked if any of the cords in it would fit my brother’s phone. “People leave them all the time,” he said, when I protested that I couldn’t just take one.

His kindness left me in tears, and I remember it to this day. He probably thought he hadn’t done anything special, but his small gesture meant I didn’t have to venture out in a strange town and to find a store that sold what I needed. Instead, I was able to get a bite to eat before taking the cord to my brother so he could stay in contact with friends and family.

Small things: A waiter at my favorite restaurant noticing that I haven’t been in for a while and asking how I’ve been. A friend sending a message that a book she was reading reminded her of me. The police officer speaking comforting words after a fender bender. Small things done perhaps not with great love but yet they definitely did make my world better.

I have no grand resolutions for the new year. I doubt I’ll lose weight, get in shape or learn Spanish. But the one resolution I am writing down is to try to make the world a better place, one small act at a time.

Marie Mischel is editor of the Intermountain Catholic. Reach her at marie@icatholic.org.