Quotes of the Week from Me:

“Optimism is a microscopic giant.”

“Take pride in your smallest accomplishments. They will make you feel good, and others too.”

“Leave temporary wiggle room when your discipline is lacking.”

“Change is gradually sudden.”

“Eat some green in the morning.”

Quotes of the Week from Someone Else:

“The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” – Mark Twain

“The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we don’t know what to do.” – John Holt

“A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour.” – Anonymous

Quick Optimism

Take pride in your smallest accomplishments. They will make you feel good, and others too.

Story: You ever see those old pictures with someone sweeping their storefront back in the early to mid 1900’s? Something about the black and white photo and clear message about work ethic really resonates with me. Either the owner is out front paying attention to detail, or the young kid working their first job is out front learning about it. It is a classic scene that has always made me appreciate good people and hearty communities.  

The other day, I lived it. Not in black and white and not 100 years ago. However, the charm felt similar. I was driving home on my favorite stretch of street in town. The speed limit is 25 but I usually go 15. I like to see the kids biking home from school and the handful of buildings I grew up with. I was waiting in traffic (I have lived in DC, Vermont traffic never counts), and I saw two young people step out of their store and onto the sidewalk. One had a shovel and one put their gloves on. The young woman got to work immediately. She was digging up weeds and realigning the grass along the sidewalk. After each round of chopping and scraping, she would brush the mess to the side to check her work. Her partner was on the side of the building pulling up other unwanted plants and tossing them into a big trash bag.  

I am sure their hard work is easy to miss. The results of landscaping typically lead to an expected visual. Too many people only notice when the weeds inhabit the sidewalk instead of how nice it is when they disappear (if you didn’t notice weeds in the sidewalk, trust me, they were there before). The young people do not follow my newsletter (yet), but for the sake of their hard work: I noticed and appreciated the dedication.

Questions: I really enjoy people watching. Sometimes I think about other people watching me. What do they notice? What do people think about when they watch my family walk by? This past week, Taylor and I took Beckett to the waterfront in Burlington. We walked on the boardwalk, threw some rocks, and met a few, very kind strangers. We were also devouring ice cream. I made eye contact with some people while others probably watched as I tried to keep Beckett from jumping into the freezing lake. What do people notice about you? What do you want them to notice?

Take pride in your smallest accomplishments, your smallest trips into town. Regardless of your intent, you are setting an example for those who are watching.

Full Newsletter: Microscopic Giants

I thought you’d like this one so much I wrote it twice.  

Optimism is a microscopic giant.

I have mentioned that I’d like to write a book. My first, and favorite, title is “Microscopic Giants,” a book about how much the little things matter. Life is full of choices, activities, and interactions. Our thoughts, feelings, and actions are very much co-dependent. What we experience is a combination of what we can and cannot control. It might be a stretch to take this topic to book length, but that will depend on several factors. Either way, I enjoy sharing simple thoughts from simple examples to brighten your Monday.

In my roughest of drafts, I argue that “microscopic giants” are things we should pay more attention to. Think about the human desire for progress. Many of us want to increase or at least maintain our quality of life. How should we do that? Many of us also want to increase the quality of life of others. Think about family, kids, friends, and acquaintances. Is pure and complete altruism possible?

Two people with the same approach will experience vastly different results. Different results in their hobbies, careers, and relationships. Why? Conviction comes to mind. Hard work does too.

Again, regardless of the example, progress is a process. So is joy. There are small things happening behind the scenes that contribute to the bigger picture. Consider this point one last time: optimism is a microscopic giant. The smallest exchange of kindness with yourself or others, feeling refreshed after a good night of sleep, taking the bad with the good and moving forward, and the pursuit of happiness can be constant. Optimism is an approach that requires practical execution. It does not always influence an outcome, but it is a catalyst for empowering the little things that fuel the big joys and successes in our lives. It is a catalyst for coping with the biggest sadness and failures in our lives. It makes paying attention to the spectrum of happy and sad bearable while allowing us to experience life with purpose and excitement.

Make it a sensational Monday.