We hadn’t been at the beach long when it happened. Though Carter had been to the beach before, this was the first time my three-year old grandson truly grasped the sand and the sea. We had all lined our chairs up for the day, beach toys cluttered the sand, and snacks were already being consumed when Carter headed to the ocean. He suddenly stops, stoops down, picks up a small shell, and screams with delight, “I found a seashell!” Running back with a smile the size of Texas, he proceeds to go down the line of chairs showing off his find to each of us. Each person responds as though he had found a piece of gold.
The shell that Carter had found was anything but special. It was small in his own little hand. It is one of thousands, no millions of little brown shells that lie along the beach. No one picks up little brown seashells, but Carter did and when he did, it changed everything. What was common to us was special to Carter, and suddenly, what was extraordinary to Carter became spectacular to us. Smiles were everywhere!
What if we all lived out life the way our family reacted when Carter found his treasure. What if we made other people’s small successes feel big? What if we celebrated the fact that someone figured out how to run the remote control on the smart tv, boil water or make toast? One of my favorite cartoons is Calvin and Hobbes. In one particular strip Calvin shows Hobbes how when he stuck bread down in the toaster it popped up later as toast. In the last frame the two are absolutely awestruck with wonder and excitement over how bread became toast.
Unfortunately, social media and life as a whole has taken away to excitement of small wonders and accomplishments. Instead of being excited for someone else’s successes, we tend to compare, become jealous and even belittle their small victories. Tragic. One would wonder what would happen if we began to encourage and celebrate each other intentionally.
What if we listened to the co-worker that often seems crabby, spoke an encouraging or kind word? Possibly it could change their perspective. How about investing in what inspires or energizes our spouse? Maybe we would find the spark that has been missing. What if we encouraged our kids when they fall short of a goal or aspiration rather than show disappointment? Little subtle changes in our attitude and actions can go a long way in impacting others.
What if we would have responded to Carter’s find differently? “What if we had said, don’t you realize there are thousands of those little shells? That shell is so small and ugly, you should see the one I found.” It would have crushed him. Without realizing it, often we crush others, not intentionally, but by simply not being in the moment.
The holiday season is nearly upon us and with it comes friends and family who step into our life for a short time. This season be intentional to listen. Decide to celebrate small successes. One can only imagine the change you might bring to someone’s world and your holiday season.