It's the little things!

I have often said that it is finding the joy in the simple, little things in life, that make the most difference and can provide the greatest happiness. Today I want to talk about two of those simple things that make my life so beautiful.

First of all, I want to tell you about my friend, Edward. Edward is a greeter at our local Meijer Department Store, which is a department store and grocery all wrapped in one. (I believe WalMart calls them Supercenters.) Edward is probably in his late 60's to early 70's and emigrated to the U.S., the son of Greek and Egyptian parents. The one thing that stands out about Edward is he always has a smile on his face and not any ordinary smile but rather one that lights up his whole face and is one of the most angelic smiles that I have probably ever seen. There is even a twinkle in his eye.

Now for most people going to the store is not exactly their idea of fun but I truly look forward to seeing Edward. I know earlier I called him a friend but he is more like an angel on Earth. That man brightens up my day every time I see him. I do not know how much he gets paid but he is priceless to me. The way I look at it, Meijer definitely gets their money's worth when Edward is there. I am not the only one Edward has this effect on because I have watched him interacting with other Meijer customers and by their reactions he has many people who look forward to being in Edward's presence.

I do recall several weeks ago that I did not see Edward for about 14 days and I prayed that he was OK and in my heart I knew he must have been on vacation. Well, when I walked in that store and saw him there, I was both relieved and excited. I asked him where he had been and in his broken English he told me he had been on vacation. I was thrilled to see him again and now I can't wait to go to Meijer to see if my angel, Edward is there. I'll tell you another way that Meijer was smart to emply this man. I probably go to that store more than I normally would simply because of Edward.

The next thing is simply playing Frisbee with my dog, Toby. It is so hilarious and joyous to see him get so excited when I ask him if he wants to go play "Frisbee". And the pure joy on his face when he is running back after catching another throw is absolutely priceless. It's funny it does not cost any money to go to the park and play with Toby however the sometimes overwhelming feelings of love and joy I get from it are without a doubt worth more than all the money in the world.



If you want to live a fulfilled and balanced life, seek out the simple things that bring you joy and spend as much time in their presence as you possibly can and when you cannot physically be in their presence, carry them in your heart and they will always be with you.

I leave you today with this quote:

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” Helen Keller

May you be blessed always and in all ways!

Harry

Copyright 2008, Harry Shade, All rights reserved.