Small Things

I’ve always liked this quote by Vincent Van Gogh, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” 

This quote reminds me that the small things I do day in and day out matter much more than the one big thing I accomplish once in a while. As a matter of fact, without the series of small things, the greater things would never materialize.  

When we think of Van Gogh, we might visualize some of his more famous paintings; Sunflowers, Starry Night or Irises. But, did you know that in the short thirty-seven years of his life, he was an artist for only ten of those years. And in those ten years, he painted more than 850 works of art. 

He was a late bloomer, who did not begin pursuing art until after he’d pursued other vocations such as an art buyer, a teacher and a lay minister. But once he found his passion, he worked at it every day, except during his bouts with mental illness. Then, his illness consumed him for months at a time, making him incapable of producing any works of art. 

But, toward the end of his life, he produced some art while a patient in an asylum and even during one his spells.  

Van Gogh had an extra hard row to hoe. But before ending his life, he understood that the series of small works added up to big and beautiful works of art that we all enjoy today. 

What about us? What are the series of small acts we do everyday in order to accomplish something bigger?

A few weeks ago, while on vacation in Southeast Utah, my husband and I took several hikes. Sliding down the face of a rock and landing on my feet next to my husband, I commented on how glad I was that we could take these hard hikes together.

“That’s why I got on the treadmill everyday this winter,” he told me. 

Those hours on the treadmill allowed him the strength, flexibility and endurance to take the hikes we took.

For me, my daily journaling led to writing a book and blogging on a regular basis. 

Then there are those who practice and train hard at running, swimming or skiing. Those are the people we see taking home gold medals from the Olympics. 

Why Bother?

Why bother doing the small things? The small things we do everyday, add up. They build our habits. Our habits build our character and our character determines our future.

P.S.  I wrote the story of my journey to forgiveness for those who need clarity when it comes to understanding forgiveness. You can find A Heart’s Journey To Forgiveness at Redemption Press and Amazon.