Living Small

If you're like me, you enjoy reading definitions for commonly used words. From the American Heritage Dictionary...

Small:
1. Being below the average in size or magnitude.
2. Limited in importance or significance; trivial: a small matter.
3. Limited in degree or scope: small farm operations.
4. Lacking position, influence, or status; minor: “A crowd of small writers had vainly attempted to rival Addison” (Thomas Macaulay).
5. Unpretentious; modest: made a small living; helped the cause in my own small way.
6. Not fully grown; very young.
7. Narrow in outlook; petty: a small mind.
8. Having been belittled; humiliated: Their comments made me feel small.
9. Diluted; weak. Used of alcoholic beverages.
10. Lacking force or volume: a small voice.

Small fry: Persons or things regarded as unimportant
Small change: Something of little value or significance
Small talk: Casual or trivial conversation
Small-minded: Having a narrow or selfish attitude


Sometimes I feel like I'm living a small life right now. Caleb is definitely "below average in size" and "not fully grown." My travels are "limited in degree or scope." When was the last time I left the house for more than 2.5 hours? Right now, I "lack position, influence, and status." A few months ago I could tell my 150 9th grade students what to do, and (for the most part), they'd do it. I don't have that kind of influence even with Caleb right now.

What I'm learning (and I have the feeling I'll continue learning it for many years to come) is that doing the small things right is not small at all. I'm usually very impressed by big things--international travel, polysyllabic words (if that's even a word), numurous and influential people who listen to your ramblings, etc. The facts of my life remain: I won't be taking a long plane ride anytime soon, and I make up my polysyllabic words. What's also true is that even when I did travel internationally to do something I thought was "great," the greatness still came down to living daily life well. When I traveled to Thailand in college, the people I met weren't impressed by my creative lesson plans or my stellar personality. They were more likely to comment on how my team treated each other (and them) on a daily basis (alluding to my mad Uno skills, of course). My influence didn't come from the fact that I thought I was doing something big.

So right now, I'm living a small life--one that's limited in scope--but trying to live that small life well. This is where I hope I deviate from some of the definitions of "small." Instead of being narrow-minded and petty, I want to have a global perspective (meaning I am not at the center of the universe, neither is Caleb, nor is Iowa). Instead of wasting time on trivial matters, I want to use my time purposefully (and changing diapers counts as purposeful). Instead of being small-minded, I want to be thankful and generous.

I'm reminded that the smallest of flowers...