It’s the Little Things
Snowmageddon 2016. That’s what I like to call the snowstorm that crippled the east coast this year. I jumped into my car and drove down the street to Walmart the night before the storm. I frantically rushed to the food aisle hoping to find the remnants from the chaos. I grabbed a few things that I needed… the essentials. Cereal, bread, Doritos, Zebra Cakes, and anything else that sounded delicious. I headed to the coolers where the milk was kept. To my surprise… there was no milk. Normally I get 2% because naturally it’s the best combination of whole and skim milk. But, today I had to settle for vanilla flavored almond milk. I felt like a hipster. I checked out and was on my way. I was prepared for what would lie ahead.
Fast Forward. It’s the next day. I head home after work. I had decided that being snowed in alone would be a drag and that I wanted to go to my sister’s apartment. I grabbed my rations from Walmart as the intricately woven snowflakes had started to fall. I’m from Pennsylvania so driving with a little snow on the roads is a rite of passage. I pull into the parking space and carried my supplies into my sister and brother in law’s apartment. We setup the PS4 and were ready for the storm.
One of the best things about being close to family is that we can have a good time any day. I ended up being snowed in for two days. It was simple. We couldn’t leave. We watched movies, played video games, played card games, and spent time playing in the snow with the dogs. It’s always about the little things. Often times I focus on the big picture of my life. I look for the big events that will change my life. God is teaching me to enjoy the little moments. My relationships with people. Just enjoy each and every day.
We ended up getting around 16 inches of snow. After the snow had ceased to fall, I ventured out in my snow boots, gloves, and beanie to find where my car had been buried. I grabbed my shovel and embarked on a journey that would leave me sweaty and out of breath. It took me 30 minutes to clean off my car. I had to dig a spot out from behind it as well. I decided before I would die from exhaustion that I would go and dig out my friend’s car; who lives in the same complex. I meandered over to her car and began to discover where it was buried. I cleaned it off and surprised her. She was so happy that it turned into a snowball fight. I’m a man, so you should already know the outcome. It was fun. It was random. It was the definition of joy. A random act of kindness, friendship, laughter, and snow. Again it’s all about the little things.
Fast forward to nine o’clock. It’s Sunday night and I need to go home. In my stupidity I had forgotten that I would need to have a parking space when I returned home. I have an assigned spot at my complex, however my car was not keeping the snow off of the ground because I was not home. I arrived and to my dismay I have a pile of snow in my parking spot. Oh boy….. (I thought to myself.) I pulled off to the side of the road and began what I thought would be an eternity of shoveling snow. What had happened was that the snowplow had plowed the snow right into my spot. How thoughtful.
I began chipping away at the snow. I had just began when my neighbor, who I have never had a conversation with, began to assist. I was in shock. This man did not know me. He has a family with two beautiful little girls and a wife who I’m sure wanted him in the house. But instead he was out here helping me. Wow. I told him multiple times that he did not have to help and that I am fully capable of shoveling to my death. To my shock, he stayed. He helped me shovel out my spot until there was no snow left. Amazing. It took an hour with his help. I will say that I had the largest pile of snow in the complex. I am very proud of my (our) accomplishment. It’s the little things. He had no reason to help me other than seeing a need and jumping in to help.
God calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves and that is exactly what my neighbor did. We need to be like my neighbor. You never know what small act of kindness can do to change a person’s life. It’s all about the little things.
