This morning, although generally good, had several little hiccups that left me fairly annoyed just in time to make it to my lunch committee meeting. For some reason, my cat decided to go on a furniture scratching spree and so I spent about ten minutes trying to convince him to use his scratch pad rather than the leather chair. Then, I popped in to a coffee shop where the lady behind the counter was clearly having a bad day and made that known to me as I ordered my drink, which she found to be a bit too complicated for her liking and finally resulted in an actual eye roll from her. That was fun. Finally, on the drive to my lunch meeting, for which I was running a few minutes behind, it seemed as if all of the drivers in front of me had received some memo to drive way under the speed limit in both of the available lanes. Neat.

By the time I arrived to my lunch meeting I was just a bit tense. Now, that sounds a bit ridiculous in the grand scheme of things and the challenges people around the world are facing on a daily basis. However, as silly as it was, the little moments can have a huge effect on us. I clearly shouldn't have been annoyed. (Makes note to self to meditate more often.)

The good news is, although the little things can annoy us, the little things can also change the trajectory of our days in a positive way, too. For example, had I been in a better frame of mind when the lady at the coffee shop was annoyed behind the counter, I could've had more empathy for her and smiled a bit bigger, talked with her a little kinder, and at least played some small role in improving the course of her day. When the cars in front of me were moving at what sincerely felt like a snail's pace, I could've used that opportunity as a reminder to take a deep breath, relax, and just allow myself to drive calmly. Late or not, I would've arrived at my meeting in a much more peaceful state of mind.

Thankfully, once I got to the meeting and spent time with my committee colleagues, my tension dissipated and the rest of the day went much more smoothly. It finally dawned on me what I could've done to re-frame the events of the morning to make it better for myself and for those around me.

This goes for our personal relationships, too. Yeah the big epic moments are wonderful. At the same time, much of our lives is made up of the little things happening in the in-between moments. Sometimes, it's the smile, that kind glance, helping with a chore you don't normally do, and such, that can make a difference in lives of those you love--and strangers, too.

The little things... add enough of them together and they can make a big difference.

More From K-Fox 95.5