This title, ‘Small Things Are Actually Big Things’ possibly has people wondering what I mean, so I’ll try to explain. Fancy cars, holidays abroad and expensive shopping trips don’t mean anything to me. I can’t enjoy things like that because I live with chronic pain. Instead, I enjoy and appreciate the small things in life. So, for me, those small things are definitely the big things.
I often say that I try to enjoy life despite my pain. And, obviously, the name of my blog would give that impression too. But perhaps that gives people the impression that I paint the town red and shop till I drop every weekend. But it’s really not like that.
I enjoy life and I’m grateful to be alive. I enjoy waking up every morning, I don’t enjoy waking up with pain. But, unfortunately, that’s just part of my life which I have had to accept. I am grateful for so much and so many things that make me smile every day. Most of them are just simple things, but for me, they’re not simple. They’re important. They matter. The simple things in life matter.
Small Things Are Actually Big Things – The Right Way to Start the Day
A simple thing like seeing the daylight sneak in through the chink in the bedroom curtains makes me smile. Then I often listen to this song from The Koi Boys to kickstart my day. It’s loud, it’s fun, it’s catchy – and it helps to get me moving.
Actually, I should say hobbling. It’s really more of a hobble than a move, especially first thing in the morning!
Appreciating Nature
Nature is special. Who couldn’t be awed by its beauty?
I’m a closet cloud watcher. I love clouds – wispy, fluffy, fair-weather, dark and angry, white, pink, purple or peach. I love them all, but especially love them when the sun is just peeking through the middle, or giving them a golden outline.
Where I live, I am surrounded by hills. In an ideal world, I’d have the health to be able to climb those hills. But it’s not an ideal world and I don’t have the health to be able to do that. But that doesn’t stop me from enjoying the views. Every day I look at those hills and see something new. It could be the shapes, the shadows or the colours. There must be a thousand shades of green, yellow, brown and red.
I watch for the heather as it starts to bloom on the hills and look out for the meadowsweet, clover and foxgloves appearing.
Snowdrops amaze me, they are the tiniest, most delicate flower, yet they find their way through the hard ground every winter. Snowdrops are so resilient – perhaps that’s why I love them so much.
I could spend hours watching long grass blowing on a windy day. It’s mesmerising. It can really be quite hypnotic as it swishes back and forth in the wind, undulating like waves on an ocean. I have to add that I watch that from behind a window. I like the comfort and warmth of my living room!
Enjoying the Seasons
I look out of my kitchen window and watch the changes in the trees—from their bare branches, heavy with winter frost, to the first tender buds of spring. Soon, the branches grow lush with bright green, healthy leaves.
It’s a beautiful sight when the berries ripen, and the garden birds feast on them, fattening themselves for the approaching winter. In autumn, the green leaves gradually dry, turning to warm, rusty shades before falling to the ground, crunchy underfoot. Seeing the trees bare again doesn’t sadden me because it signals rest. The trees are nurturing themselves, preparing for the cycle to begin anew.
Birdwatching
I’m not a twitcher, but I love watching birds. Every day, I find myself drawn to the garden, listening to and observing the many birds around us. Here where I live, we have thrushes, finches, tits, sparrows, swallows, house martins, and more.
I especially love the chattering of the house martins. Those clever birds amaze me—they fly here from Africa every summer. I can barely travel to the local supermarket without a satnav, yet these tiny creatures travel thousands of miles by instinct—or some other incredible power.
I Appreciate Home Comforts
Nature is amazing, and I could spend hours writing about it, but I also love my home comforts.
Since I hate being cold, I really appreciate having central heating at the flick of a switch and a log fire that crackles and glows, thanks to my husband’s efforts.
And food—oh, I can’t forget food. Homemade lentil soup, slow-cooked stews, cauliflower cheese, rice pudding… all simple, yet satisfying comfort foods. There’s nothing nicer than the smell of home-cooked meals wafting through the house. One of my favourites is the aroma of spiced fruit bread after it’s been toasted. It tastes delicious, but the smell lingers: the cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg hanging in the air, leaving a warm welcome in my kitchen. And, of course, it leaves me wanting more—which is perhaps not such a good thing!
Small Things Really Are Big Things in My Life
So many things bring me enjoyment—listening to music, lying in bed with a good book, or curling up on the couch watching a rom-com. I keep my brain active by watching back-to-back quiz show episodes or playing Scrabble online with friends. I write, and occasionally, if my pain and energy levels allow, I craft or paint.
Doing these things isn’t just enjoyable—they also help distract me from my pain. If you’re looking for ideas for distraction, take a look at this post – 20 ways to try to distract yourself from pain.
The Simple Things, The Small Things – Those Are Definitely the Big Things
I enjoy the simple things in life. And simple things matter. They might seem small, but they are definitely big.
Pain takes so much from people, but I refuse to let it steal my enjoyment of life.
Those small moments—watching birds, reading, listening to music—are what help me savour life.
Not everyone notices the small things. Maybe some people are simply too busy. But living with pain has made me slow down so that I really look and appreciate what’s around me.
Do you notice the small things in your life, and do they feel as big to you as they do to me?
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Thank you so much for reading.
If this post resonated with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
And feel free to share it with your friends or support groups.
Take care,
Liz.
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I love this and totally relate. I also have chronic pain and try to be as positive as i can, all the time, as getting down about it makes it all worse. Over the last few months i have really started to notice and take enjoyment and pleasure from little things, all very similar things to what you have said. They are things a few years ago, before chronic pain i would not even have noticed. I think as your world becomes smaller you start to see these things and you appreciate them a lot more. So i completely understand what you mean when you say you enjoy life. The small things to others are big things to us.
Thanks Geri,
I’m glad you enjoyed today’s post. Sorry that you live with chronic pain, but I really am glad you’ve found ways of coping too.
You’ve painted a beautiful picture of your valley. I think the small things are always the best, and learning to appreciate them is one of the most beneficial things we can do for ourselves.
Thanks Trish. It’s important, isn’t it? If we can appreciate those little things, it makes life a lot nicer.
Thank you for sharing this I understand I suffer from fibromyalgia and I remember when I was a young girl how that’d make fun and say I was making it up. I still to this day can’t believe that in 2001 we were so primitive especially in medicine.
I agree! If we don’t appreciate the small things, how can we really appreciate anything else? I find that when I focus on the small things that are beautiful in life, everything is so much more joyful.
Thanks for commenting Elizabeth. Yes, all those small things mean so much.
Interesting. Guess I have been thinking of enjoying life from my more healthy days. Your definition regarding the little things seems to have removed a sense of burden from me. I do enjoy those ‘little things’. Only I had done so in passing.
Time for a re evaluation and some simple quiet joy. Thanks
Thanks for commenting Cheryl. I’m glad my post has helped you in a way. Hope you enjoy your day.
I have been living with chronic pain too and your words sounded like I was listening to an old and beloved friend. Beautifully written.
Thanks for your lovely comment. Sorry that you also have chronic pain. Hopefully I’ll continue to be that old friend for you 🙂
Very well-written blog, and information that I may also need.
I’m a Chronic!
Chronic Pain ✔
Chronic Fatigue ✔
Chronic Lupus✔
Chronic AVN✔
CHRONIC SKIN CONDITIONS ✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔
Thank you, I just got my start to blogging, I call it jlogging be dayawe to me it is more like a Journal.
Checked over & over to make sure some innermost feeling isn’t displayed for the World to see.
Thanks again, Stacy
Hi Stace, sorry you have so many chronic conditions. If you want, leave me a link to your blog, I’d love to read it 🙂
Thank you, and you don’t have to say a word, but if you feel a word or words please say them!
I unknowingly started 4-5 blogs, thinking I was logging in via the same one.
I, in fact was not! I realized I had really put the work in, 4, 5, 6 Blog’s,most probably! lol ! ?♀️❣??♀️❣??♀️❣
I’m slowly combining into one, just trying to set style I like, the 1 I like the best of course!!
goldenrule4all.wordpress, LiveWell_BeKind & maybe livewellbekind.wordpress.
Thanks!
Sincerely! Stace
It’s confusing at first, isn’t it? I’ve found Livewell_bekind (love title)
But I can’t find the goldenrule4all. I need to get some things done, then I’ll take a look 🙂
No worries at all, as I said there should be a ?⚠️?Cautionary ?⚠️?Story?⚠️?laid before entering any of my jlog’s at all.
I went at it as I do most everything up and until NOW!
It will take a couple weeks I imagine to get all of the Corresponding, Thoughts, Ideas, Goals, Dreams, etc. cohesively together like that of a Magic Rubio’s Cube.
Depending on the Kidney Stone count this week. Lol….SO NOT LOL! ???
I think that WordPress deleted it. It had a lot of great content. It makes me sad. I hope you’re holding together well in this cold weather. Love, Stacy
Oh no…can you contact them and ask them about it maybe?
Beautifully written! Life is truly all about the simple small things. I agree whole heartedly that living with chronic illness gives us this special gift of having the time to slow down and take notice of all the beauty around us. ❤?❤
I didn’t mean to focus on all the bad, I just was in tuned to getting something done, safely.
I lived the……. Oh, woah is me!
I lived it for sure, and I KNOW I AM NEVER GOING BACK!
I know definately looking for a diagnosis, that took 7 years. My symptoms, knee pain, swelling, redness, cannot walk on legs at all. etc.. 12 yo, Symptoms began in ’96-’97 right after I gave birth to Justin.
Lupus IS thought to be brought on by Hormonal Changes Inflammation of everything, every organ in your body. Your Skin is your largest organ.
I did live all up in my pain, heck I even invited others all up in there TOO. Which isn’t cool!
On the REGULAR!!! Heeey!!
My life had become a Negative-mucky-mess. I was “shotty” and I knew it! 2 Counselors! After the end of my 20+ year marraige.
Positive Affirmations have changed my life!
Sometimes we need to focus on all the bad, in order to get to a stage of being able to cope. Sometimes it’s like a light switches on and we realise that we can do this. We can cope.
I’ve had my moments too when I’ve focused on the negative. You’re not alone there.
Oooh, Kidney stones…been there. Really painful.
Take your time with your blog. There’s no rush, is there? I’m following you (on Livewell, so hopefully that’s right), so I should get a notification when you post.
Heck you are my only reader! Lol
You will be notified for sure! FOR SURE!
I almost have it sorted!
Thanks & ❤, Stacy
BTW I didn’t see it as though focusing only on the bad….. it’a there we HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT, UNFORTUNATELY. Family, having difficulty in trying to see my gbabies, This is as stressfull for me as 5yrs ago when I divorced from my former Husband. The pain in my heart comes out in tears & they just don’t stop.
You do have to focus on the smaller things when you live with chronic pain, agreed. I have scoliosis and have broken my back twice – if I ceased stopping to smell the roses, I’d be miserable. So I make sure I look for the good in life and people, and it works a treat 🙂
Exactly, we need to keep looking for and smelling those roses. Sorry about your back!
Sometimes in life, we take a lot of things for granted. You don’t know how blessed you are until you are unable to do what you freely do.
I wish you speedy recovery and strength to keep keeping on
Yes, we often take things for granted. Thank you
Beautiful post. I’d even argue that those “small things” are the big things that each one of us take for granted, which really makes them big things. It’s a lovely thing to be able to look outside and see the beauty of nature and all it’s sights, sounds, and smells. If more people stopped to admire these things more often, I think we’d all be much healthier and happier. I’m glad you’ve been able to appreciate these things despite your pain, and I wish you a steady and speedy recovery.
Thank you Johnny. Yes, might be a different world if we appreciated those things more.
You are such a fighter and truly have high regards for you.You must be really an inspiration for some many readers who are undergoing similar conditions.Pray for you.
Thank you so much.
You have such a great attitude. There are so many small things to be thankful for that many of us take for granted. The beauty of nature is part of that.
Thank you
After long time of being very unhappy about what I couldn’t do because of my chronic illness and pain, I finally discovered that the key to a happy — or at minimum, a content — life with chronic illness is shifting my focus to the beauty and wonder of the world. So much of that is about paying attention to what’s going on, both in nature and in your every day. Combining that with gratitude, noticing how much you are enjoying a particular act or thing… And there you are. Happy. Great post!
Thanks Lene. Yes, you understand it all too well x
It’s true. We need to continue living despite of the pain. Life goes on no matter what…
It does and yes, we do. Thank you
That’s the way to do it! I think people have this thought that you have to do and see something incredible all the time in order to enjoy life. But the truest enjoyment of life is the everyday parts of life itself!
That’s it exactly. Enjoying everyday parts of life matters
In the past few months I’ve been making a solid effort to catch and appreciate these small things that make up our lives. I’ve noticed that life is passing me by due to an overloaded work schedule and just the stressfulness of life itself.
So I made it a personal goal to keep an open mind to the small, seemingly insignificant moments and really see them as they happen on a day to day basis.
One of my new favorite small activities is finding lovely, real and beautiful written articles and blog posts like this one and taking in the words and meanings and just being able to sit with it for a while.
I loved reading this, thank you for writing it!
Lindsay, what a beautiful comment. That means a lot to me.
This is a great post, and I love your positive outlook where you focus on all the things you love and can enjoy versus the things that you can’t. It’s important to enjoy the simple things whether you have a chronic illness or not because a lot of joy can be had from these little rays of sunshine.
Thank you. And there are many little rays of sunshine.
I’m so sorry that you live with regular pain. The little things a absolutely the important things– I write about that often!
Thanks, Elease. Yes, the little things are definitely important.
I love how you enjoy life, find the joy in the passing clouds and the chatting of the birds. Thanks for sharing your outlook with your readers,
Thank you, Megan.
I love this attitude in your post! Life isn’t perfect, but at least we’re alive to live another day. I think enjoying little things like clouds and birds is such an overlooked joy these days. Everybody is so busy being busy that they forget to enjoy the little things. Thank you for such a great reminder that we should all slow down anc enjoy life a bit more.
Thank you, Erica. For sure, people are too busy being busy.
Another great and a very profound post! You are so correct but it goes beyond chronic pain. Being present at the moment being mindful about our surrounding , paying attention and being able to appreciate small things around us make every body happy and content! It is so sad that with such huge advancement of technology , we are gradually forgetting to pay attention to small wonders in our lives. Your post is a very timely reminder for all of us
Thank you so much.
Such a beautiful sentiment. Being able to appreciate the little things and be grateful just shows how strong and amazing you are!
Oh, thank you. I don’t think I’m strong or amazing. Just trying to do the best I can with what I have.
Love this! My best friend lives with chronic pain and she appreciates everything. She’s taught me so much.
I think we need to be like that, otherwise, life could get pretty miserable. So finding enjoyment in little things is crucial.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I know this isn’t chronic pain, but my boyfriend recently got back surgery and it was definitely an eye-opener to the both of us that we take our bodies for granted the little things that we can do everyday when we are well. Thus, appreciating the littlest things is so important to living a fulfilling life.
Beautiful & relatable post. Thank you for helping me look at chronic pain & illness from a different perspective.