Letting Go of Little Things
by Wes Fessler

There are some things in life that are too small to cling to, but for which we get so caught up in that we have difficulty letting go. Such is the plight of the young girl who excitedly catches a fish and wants to keep the prize, but who discovers that it is too small, and must be returned to the water in search of a more suitable catch. What a disappointment it can be to the little girl’s heart to discover that her elation at catching a fish must end only by returning it to the water from which she so cleverly extracted it. The girl knows that freeing the fish is the right thing to do, but the decision does not come easily when the perception of reward must be denied for the mere hope of something better to come.  

How often in life are we similarly perplexed at the little things that affect us from day to day? What is it about small things that can have such a big influence on our ability to make decisions? What are the little things that affect our daily lives, and how can we make the decisions that we know are right for us and for others?

Sometimes we make small issues into big ones when we fail to see them as they truly are, or to deal with them in an appropriate and timely manner. There are enough big issues in life to be concerned about without the added concerns that overblown and exaggerated little ones can add to daily stresses. We can be easily provoked by thoughtless words of others, responding with an equal or greater sense of sharpness and derisive responses. This often turns a foolish but small issue into a large one that stands front and center. Must we always be so sensitive that we feel obligated to turn every thoughtless jab into a drag-out fight, or can we sometimes allow small comments to roll off of our shoulders and enjoy the therapeutic effect of our own ability to rise above little things?

On the other hand, we can also make too little of small stresses by underestimating their significance and putting them off or ignoring them altogether. Underestimating small concerns can effectually transform them into large concerns. It is important to manage small challenges realistically and without procrastination, so they don’t have time to accumulate into larger concerns.

Small things cannot be ignored without consequences, but neither should they be expanded beyond proportion by our imaginative sensitivities to become something of greater consequence than they truly deserve. It is we who make small concerns into large challenges by failing to recognize them for what they really are. Like the girl who catches a fish, we must look beyond our immediate desires for gratification, shedding the hindrances of procrastination to realize what truly matters…doing the right thing.

Happiness is not found by clinging to the smallest fish, or by walking away from responsibility—it is found in letting go of little things—being a bigger and better person by doing the things that allow us to stand tall and proud. We must all at times release a small fish from our lives, knowing that whether or not we will catch a bigger one, we will have the reward of knowing that our choices have made us as great as any big catch. May we all have the acuity of vision to see little things for what they really are, and the courage to let go of them when the need arises.