Every Little Thing...

"Every small task of everyday life is part of the total harmony of the universe."

-- St. Theresa of Lisieux

As St. Terri tells us, there are no unimportant actions. Every little thing is sacred. Every small task is a piece in the beautiful mosaic of life.

I know it's tempting to think that the little things don't matter. That doing the dishes, attending a boring meeting, trimming your toenails, or responding to an e-mail, is so trivial as to be undeserving of your full attention. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The universe is composed of these seemingly small, trivial, and unimportant events. It is our attention, our consciousness that brings these little things to life. We create harmony, or disharmony, in the universe by the way we do the things we do. We make the universe either sacred or profane by the quality of consciousness we bring to it.

This does not mean that we have to be all paranoid, anal, and uptight about our actions. We can give our attention fully, but lightly, flowingly. Seriousness and consciousness are not the same thing. You can be aware, conscious and attentive without being sanctimonious, stiff and serious.

Remember: Life is too sacred to be taken seriously!

So (you knew it was coming), just for today, focus on the little things. Impeccably do the small stuff. Major in minor things. It may be hard to ascertain the "total harmony of the universe," but by focusing on the immaterial and insignificant, you'll definitely feel your own personal world coming into greater harmony. And perhaps that is as much as any one person can do.