25 February 2008

That Thing You Do

Patti's blog made me stop and wonder about the things we do. The tiny ones, most of all.

Chaos theory, I guess you could call it? Implications. Ripples. Meaning.

Something small a stranger does that changes the course of your day. Something someone says in passing - to you, about you, around you - that you remember still, years later.

You're thinking of one right now, aren't you?

The thing is, most times the person doesn't even notice or remember what's been said or done. But, whatever it is, it sticks, it stays, and it makes a difference. And sometimes it's good and sometimes it isn't.

I wish you could tell what things are going to do that to people, but I don't think you can. So I guess tonight I'm thinking about the things I do.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your mention of my post on this topic. I'm particularly mindful of this idea of connections and tangential relationships having gone to my 30th high school reunion this past summer and realizing that it was the chance comment from decades earlier, or the small circumstance, that had made the biggest impact, even these years later. Perhaps we are not supposed to know at the time...perhaps those moments only show up in their full richness when we are older... thanks for the food for thought.