It's the simple things that count

This morning I arrived at my office quite early, earlier than my usual time, and earlier than everyone else. I had the privilege of witnessing something so simple yet profound, something that I hadn’t seen in a very long time. As I sat at my desk and began to settle into my routine, the office cleaners were carrying out their chores, and one of then pulled up the window blind. My eyes caught sight of a magnificent beauty, a simple occurrence in nature—I watched the sun rise, and it was captivating. 

I sat for a while and observed this beauty act of nature. I watched a big ball of yellow appear over a backdrop of grey. I smiled at the simple pleasure of watching it become brighter, and as it did, the objects on the horizon became clearer. I began to notice the skyline come alive as the skyscrapers became more visible and the towers clearer. I asked myself, how many mornings had I woken up and gone about my day without giving a single thought to the big ball of yellow that now stood shinning in a clear sky? It was going to be a lovely day, and this was God’s way of saying so to all mankind.

My mind returned momentarily to the things I needed to do before the day ended—the meetings to attend, interviews to conduct, and a dinner to host. I could see my day pass by in a rushing blur before it had even started. I sighed and sat back again for a moment to take in the beauty of the sunrise . . .  and then it hit me. In a little while, the sun will set, and all I’ll have to show for it is what I did between sunrise and sunset.

So, what was I going to do that would count, something that could leave an indelible memory in the minds of people, not just anyone but the people I love. I decided to give my husband a call to tell him how much I love him. I called my kids’ school just to check on how they were doing. I said a prayer for a family I knew that was going through a crisis. I offered a job to someone I knew desperately needed it. I wrote a piece for my blog. I made a mental note to send a gift to someone who had just had a baby. I called my mum to say thanks for all her support over the years and listened to one of my favorite songs for a minute, no, three.

When I was done with the seemingly small yet important things I wanted to do, I turned to my laptop and began my day job. And for the rest of the morning, I smiled every time I remembered the big yellow ball against the grey background and the lesson it had taught me. 

Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. ⁷  Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. ⁹ Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. ¹⁰ I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. ¹¹ Ecclesiastes 9:7-11

As long as you have the privilege to see another sunrise, enjoy your day with the people you love, and give life your best shot. It’s God’s gift to you. Have a great week!