A couple of weeks ago, I was able to see “The Hobbit” in theaters. As an avid Middle Earth fan, I had been looking forward to its release for a few years. It was a very well made movie, and I am extremely glad I got to go see it. However, it struck me that the majority of the main cast were extremely short in stature. Take Bilbo, for instance. Only about three feet high, and yet he is obviously the main protagonist in this movie. Then you have the dwarves. Thirteen of them, all under five feet tall, but they dominate the story the minute Dwalin walks in Bilbo’s front door.
Now, there’s nothing new about the little guy getting the screen time, David and Goliath being the obvious story. But what interests me is that it is the little, seemingly insignificant things in life that can make the biggest difference. Take a simple compliment in the morning, for example. Maybe as small as ten words in a sentence, but it can make a person’s day. Or what about holding a door open for someone? Another little, trivial gesture, but people appreciate it, and they usually will thank you for your kindness. Of course, you also have the flip side of those scenarios. Maybe a person gets a door shut in their face, or you have a lot of unannounced company for dinner and none of them thank you for the meal, or nobody at work notices that you are now driving a Lamborghini Aventador instead of a Fiesta. Quite by accident, those non-kindnesses can easily make a person disgruntled or irritated, without exactly knowing why they are feeling that way.
If small kindnesses are so appreciated, why don’t they happen more often? I think that, much like Bilbo, we are so focused on our own lives and smoking our metaphorical pipes that we miss the little things in life if we’re not more aware. So the next time you notice that your friend got a haircut, or braces, or is wearing a nice suit, let them know. Little things like that just might make their day.
