It’s a question that people have argued about for years.  Does size really matter?  Is bigger more fierce and is smaller not
able to put fear into one’s heart?  Before you start thinking that I’m taking a turn for the dirty side, get your mind out of the gutter.  I’m referring to picking your battles.  Here’s how I came to this big/small analogy.

The other night I was walking my dogs, Hami and Sophie.  They’re awesome, by the way, but I digress.  As we were walking through the park, a mosquito landed on my shoulder.  Unfortunately for him, it was his last landing because I smacked him.  That got me to thinking, we often look at large things as  large problems.  We let size trick us when often times it’s the little things that can be the biggest problem.  Take that mosquito, for instance.  Mosquitoes carry malaria, West Nile and a host of other diseases that could put me in the grave and yet it’s super tiny.  Some are so tiny they look like gnats and sometimes even those can leave a nasty bite.

Then there’s the big things can sometimes be misconstrued as a BIG problem.  Things like moving to a different city for a higher paying job or turning 40.  For the former, maybe it’s in the whole big scheme of life that the cards have fallen to give you the opportunity to move.  For the latter, look at the alternative to turning 40.  For those that aren’t quick on the uptake, it’s death.  I think that’s why I always look forward to my birthday.  The other alternative is not something I want to think about.

You’ve heard the term “making a mountain out of a mole hill”?  I have and I use it all the time.   On social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter I always see people writing about how they hate drama and wish all the people with drama would get out of their lives.  What these people are saying to me is that they really love drama and want to stir it up not only privately but on a very public forum.  Is it really worth doing?  Is it really worth putting your business out there?  I’m going to be honest with you, most people don’t care.  I once had a friend say, “I wish all these people that updated statuses every 5 minutes with personal information that none of us care about would get a Twitter account.  See how many people follow you.  That’s how many people are interested in your every move and thought.”  Sometimes it’s best to keep things to yourself.  I often need to follow this advice.  Especially after a couple of cocktails but, again, I digress.  If you keep things to yourself then that thing that you think is so big won’t be blown up and may just shrink to nothing and go away.  And in all honesty, if that many people are causing drama in your life, cut them loose.  All the little things they do to annoy you will leave a BIG spot for happiness in your life once they’re gone.

Then there’s the things we sweep under the rug.  A lump in some part of our body that we attribute to stress, a child that is “active” when they’re young so we let them “express” themselves in any way they see fit or paying bills with credit cards because you’re a little short this month but are you really going to have extra money next month?  The thing about sweeping little things under the rug is that eventually a big dirt mound begins to form.  Then you have to move the furniture, lift the rug and there’s usually more things under there than you care to see.  Take care of yourself.  If you feel funny, not haha funny but ugh funny, go to the doctor until the ugh feeling goes away.  If you’re child is acting a fool, jerk a knot in their tail.  Spare the rod, spoil the child.  You are not their friend, you are their parent.  And speaking for the sect of the population that has to see your ill-behaved child in public, thanks for stepping up to the plate and handling the situation like a responsible adult.  As for the money, I’m no one to lecture about that because I’m no financial wiz.  I can say this, I have been in credit card trouble and I’m going to tell you that it’s nearly impossible to get out of it.  Once you do, avoid getting the little things that you didn’t need that got you into this big mess.  You lived without them before, you can manage to keep going without them.

These were just a few things that have been rolling around in my brain lately.  I’ve been known to have a flair for the dramatics and make a mountain out of a mole hill.  I speculate, make up stories about scenarios that will never happen unless it’s in a movie, expect the worse and I’m here to tell you that it’s dire existence.  So, take a different approach to looking at things.  Remember, it could be the little things that you keep looking over that could give you malaria and that big thing that you never thought you could live through is the thing that winds up being your saving grace.