It Doesn't take Much

This past Wednesday I went back to Nueva Feria with my tutor, Delicia, on a mission. I heard from another volunteer that you can purchase cocoa without sugar. Pure, dark, lovely, bitter, cocoa.....it just gives me shivers thinking of all the goodies that can be made.

So after a 30 minutes of wandering through the crowds, we finally found the little counter that sells dried fruits, nuts, and cocoa. I was so thrilled. I asked how much, and the gal said 20 Bs for 1 kilo. Hah! That's a STEAL! So I told her I wanted one kilo and she looked at me, and I said, yes, I said I wanted an entire kilo of cocoa, (because what happens if I can't find it again for a while, I have to be prepared). She started to fill and measure a bag and we soon realized that 1 kilo would be the entire cocoa stock they had. I was pretty pleased with my prize. Funny how a large bag of cocoa for less than 3 bucks can make me smile all day.

It doesn't take Much.

Yesterday we had a meeting with a few other volunteers to plan for a learning team that is coming this weekend. I realized pretty quickly that I wasn't at this meeting to be informed of what was going on, but to take on responsibilities and start our job as hosts. But we're still in language class? How are we suppose to take on another thing with our schedule? Sigh, well, I don't feel that anything we will be doing is unreasonable (in fact I'm looking forward to it), it's just that being told you have responsibilities with 2 days notice isn't really that great. Plus, it's not just us, but we have to inform support staff of extra duties they have. I think I've realized that communication doesn't just have to do with getting things done like we task oriented North Americans tend to think, but it is more about being considerate of other people. A little note in the mailbox, a chat in the yard last week would have made the difference. When people know what is going on then they feel valued and important.

It doesn't take Much.

This weekend we sorted through our home, cleaning out desks, cupboards, organizing bulletin boards. Lately it's felt like we've been living in someone else's house, and someone else's clutter! So we organized things, we got rid of a lot of junk and started to put up some pictures. I had a folder filled with photos from home that I had been meaning to put up, but hadn't gotten around to it. We made two bulletin boards of pictures, one for the dining room/kitchen and the other for the kids' room. It was amazing how moving a few things around and putting up our own pictures on the walls and fridge made this place feel like home. All this week people walked in and commented on how homey it felt. All we did was tidy up a few things.

It doesn't take Much.

So as I've been thinking about the positive and challenging things this week, I'm reminded that it's not in the big things that tend to leave an impression or impact us, but the small things. It's the words and tone spoken in passing in the yard, it's the little note you received in the mail, it's a bag of cocoa!, it's the phone call with a friend, it's pictures on a wall. The negative things in my life are seldom big huge problems, but tiny little things that scratch away at my spirit, like the saying says, Death by a Thousand Cuts.

And it's the same with the positive things. I have been thrilled with getting a bag of chips from bible study to take home for the kids (which turned into a late night snack for two pseudo-Spanish students!), or tickled pink by a picture that the kids drew. The pat on the shoulder when you feel weary that lifts your spirits, or being capable of taking a taxi home....small little things that in the grand scheme of things don't seem that significant, but make a big impact on your outlook on life.

Looking and watching very closely, I begin to see the value in the little things. I begin to be more deliberate with those smaller items in life. Watching more closely to be cautious about how things may hinder others, and being more free with doling out the positive.

It doesn't take Much.