15th of February

“Little things affect little minds.” 

- Benjamin Disraeli (among other things, a 19th century British Prime Minister)

I am pretty sure Mister Disraeli, with his assuredness, and his razor wit, was being a wee bit the intellectual snob, here. Which is entirely his perogative. I have to say, I do so enjoy reading his many proclamations and assertions. 

Whatever his purpose, I am interested in this quote as it pertains to the various minds I may have in the course of a day, week, or month.... On my better days, my mind is in gear, is open, and does not get held up by small agitations, roadblocks, or other things that might keep me from doing whatever it is that is before me. On my lesser days, my mind can be more or less blown out of the water by 'little things': the proverbial shoe lace, a perceived slight, something that is not working the way I think it should be working.  And I consider myself a fairly balanced person, so I am assuming that this polarity of 'minds' is something that most people experience, in varying degrees.

So, yet again, it seems that my frame of mind is really the key to how my day will go, the key to how I will be able to move through my day. The better I take care of myself, usually, the better my frame of mind. Weird.... 

Weirder still that the better my day goes, the better it goes for the people in my immediate vicinity. In fact, my good day, may even be contagious....

the Keeper (word to think about/keep with me for a bit): 

"Moderation" - n. The avoidance of excess or extremes, especially in one's behavior or political opinions. (This is one of Disraeli's favorite words, by the by. Also, I am put in mind of the position of 'moderator', as in a debate, who would be the person charged with keeping the two (or more!) sides in check, and maintaining the flow of the event. The Moderator, then, keeps things going smoothly.) 

I hope to not sweat the little things today, so as to have room for the things that truly matter, be they my family, my friends, or the things close to my heart. Here's to having a contagiously good day...