The small things in life

This whole year I’ve been focusing on letting go of things that don’t do me any good.

I’ve found that in the process of working on that, I’ve become more aware of how much joy there is in the little things in life, the things I want to hold on to.

When the depressive lows hit or anxiety wreaks havoc, it’s hard to focus on the seemingly small but so important things in life. I’m learning, however, that those times are exactly the times when I need to focus on them.

So here’s a sampling of some of the small, random things in life I’ve been experiencing or thinking about. I’m linking up with Nancy at A Rural Journal.

One

I noticed this spider web set up on Larry’s old red truck the other afternoon and grabbed my phone to get a photo of it. I liked the intricacies of the web and the way the spider seemed to still be working on it.

Two

Lately I’ve been getting out my camera or my iPhone more and more to catch bits of nature or something I find interesting. It has become more important for me to record what I’m seeing in my everyday life.

Three

Larry and I discussed this the other day: I’ve lived in the South for all of my life except for five years in the Midwest. I sometimes wonder how Southern I am. For example, I was taught as a child to say “yes, ma’am” and “no, ma’am” or “yes, sir” and “no, sir” to my elders, including my parents, as a form of respect. Larry was taught the same, except he didn’t have to use those terms with his parents.

We still use those forms of courtesy with others, usually without thinking. But we know there are other ways and many ways to show respect.

Is the use of “ma’am” and “sir” just a Southern habit?

Four

Which brings me to Southern accents. I love hearing different accents. It’s so interesting to listen to people from different parts of the country and the world.

After a few years of living in Ohio, a lot of my Southern accent changed. My mother in Virginia said I had “an Ohio accent” whenever I answered the phone. My friends in Ohio noticed that I sounded more Southern after a visit to Virginia.

I’ve been back in Virginia for many years. But not too long ago someone said, “You don’t sound like you’re from around here.”

Hmmm. I guess I’m a hybrid of some sort.

Five

I’ve reached the point in the book I’m currently reading, Tripwire, by Lee Child, where I don’t want to put it down. The pieces of the mystery are starting to come together, and I’m anxious to have the whole puzzle fit together. I love that about reading a good mystery.

My love for mysteries started when I was a little girl. Sometimes I flipped to the back of the book to read the ending first, then enjoyed reading and slowly understanding how everything moved to that ending point.

I don’t ruin the ending for myself anymore. I enjoy the mystery from beginning to end.

Have you ever read the ending of a book first?