Little Things Are Big

As I walked the short trail back from the beach to the pool, I came across a groundskeeper raking the sandy path. I walked to the left to avoid his equipment cart and he gently cautioned me to watch out for the branches that hung over the fence above my head.  I smiled gratefully and thanked him not only for the safety notice - but also for raking the path.  When I returned to make my way back to my beach paradise, he was crouched down picking up dead leaves and flowers from the ground.  I thought to myself - "Wow, God made this incredibly beautiful place and this man was making it even more perfect with his careful attention  to the tiny details".  


As I teach yoga, I walk around the room passing from student to student - nodding signs of approval on their poses and efforts or just gently touching them with my fingertips so they know I  am there.  I remind them the focus is on the breath, then the pose.  And they are beautiful.  As they stand and try to balance in tree pose (standing on one straight leg with the second leg poised on their opposite thigh) I tell them all the trees in the forest are different - just like their tree poses and that is what makes them so interesting. It would be boring if they were all the same.  


In class, I turn their front feet forward, assist them in moving their shoulders or bending forward - any of a thousand little adjustments help make their pose more perfect or help them feel more in the pose.  


It is the subtle little things that can make such a big difference.  


And I continue on my perfect sandy path to the beach with a smile on my face.