No Big Deal

so, having a minimally functional computer has relegated my blog-ourtunities to picking the lock of my roommate's locked door at 2:00 a.m. and sneakily (and creepily) hunch in the corner while i reconnect with that alluring typing sound that fulfills my ambitions. yes...type, Dayton, type.

(i'll keep you updated on each song that plays on Tyrone's 'Sleep' Playlist on iTunes. so far i've heard "The Dance" by Garth Brooks and "U Got it Bad" by Usher. i love this guy.)

as previously promised by the author of an archaic entry (yes, me), little needs to be discussed...and staying true to the overall mantra of this bloggity blog blog, we shall address a topic through a story.

first, the reference:

the fall semester, for me, began with the death of my grandmother; a beautiful woman who gave all her life and love to her family. she lived in a small life, but with great influence and impact on the lives she touched. (more on that in my next entry)

i now realize that the pronoun 'that' is a bit ambiguous. 'that' is referring to the smallness of actions; the "Little Way" if you will.

("Mr. Jones" Counting Crows, top 25 for me, btw)

a couple months ago i hit the links with Dane and Dono (that means golf). now, we aren't the best golfers in the world, but i challenge those who enjoy their rounds as much as we do. i mean, three lefties in a group naturally lends itself to awesomeness. natural law...ish. so long story short we're on the par 5 tenth hole and i hit a drive well enough to put me in position to be aggressive and put the second shot on the front lawn (that means green). *pause to pat myself on the back, uh thank you*. in preparation for my shot, i grabbed my 5-iron (which i rarely hit well) and surveyed the land in order to see any hazards i needed to negotiate.

("My Immortal" Evanescence)

so i stand over the ball, take a practice swing, take another look at my target and...

see folks, this is what i find so interesting about the human mind: that in any moment, under any circumstance, inspiration happens. well, i call it inspiration, my doctor in middle school called it ADD. but at that moment, between my practice and actual swing, this thought monologued through my mind:

little things. get the little things right. St. Therese was onto something. something much grander and deeper than i, no doubt, but hey, we all gotta start somewhere.

("Something in the Way She Moves" James Taylor <- awesome)

if we get the little things right, the "big" things take care of themselves. Like what blessed Theresa of Calcutta said: "We can do no great things; only small things with great love." so get the little things right. gosh, i've had awesome role models from my youth. My parents, grandparents, priests, teachers and friends...what'd they all have in common? they pay attention to detail. little things matter to them. we need more people who care about little things.

("Where We Gonna Go from Here" Matt Kearney)

...so i hit my shot on the green, then snickered to myself as i three-putted.

and here we are. we cut corners, glaze over footnotes, brush away the little things. go ahead. pay attention. it's around more than we realize. we snitch a brownie bit when nobody is looking. we push in the margins a half-inch to lengthen our research papers. we skip class because we can just get the notes online. we take a $.10 mint because "it's only ten cents". we speed. it's no big deal. everyone does it and nobody is really paying attention anyway.

except that we are. everyone is watching you. muuaahahahahaha...j/k...but really, these things DO matter. maybe not much monetarily, but in principle. in themselves, these menial motions reveal our innermost character. they ARE the big things that tell others who we are. were we called to greatness, to honor, to glory, to Christ (who, in fulfilling the Law, had to be preeetttyy poignant). so go ahead: choose wisely.

("Fifteen" Taylor Swift <--aww, tyyyrrooonneee)

...really, Tyrone? Fifteen by Taylor Swift? Really? :-p

and that's where i leave you for now.

until next time:

Peace,

Daytona

P.S.: while labeling tags for this post, the last song playing was "A Song For Mama" - Boyz II Men. gets me every time. yeah...i love my mom...wanna fight about it?