Trifles

Hello fellow bloggers, friends, and all the others finding their way here! This is my first blog post in my very first blog... and my excitement is tangible!

Sadly, I will not be talking about the delicious dessert known as the trifle. Layers of soft, spongy angel food cake upon layers of bright and succulent fruit and creamy yogurt... Now that we're all craving this season-appropriate dessert, I'll continue.

No, the trifles I will be writing about today are the silly things in life; seemingly unimportant things done, seen, or experienced every day that are commonly ignored or deemed useless. Grass, clouds, showers, celery, fingernail polish, popcicles, swings, ice cream trucks, laughter, etc. All of these are simple and easily classified as mere trifles when compared to more important things such as our schooling, careers, and relationships. Yet, when noticed in a moment of despair, or even the slightest moment of sadness, these trifles can be classified as small miracles.

It is a sunny day and you are lying within the shade of a tree. It is hot and humid, and there is no air conditioning to be felt. Your clothes are sticking to your skin with sweat when all of the sudden, you hear a faint sound cutting it's way through the muggy air toward you. Wiping your forehead, you dismiss the sound for fear of being disappointed and close your eyes to continue on existing in this pitiful state. However, not a moment later, you hear it again. Can it be? You are instantly brought back to the days of your youth. Running through the sprinklers with the other children on your street, there are no cares in the world. Everything is perfect and your innocence is blissful. These are the memories coursing through your veins as you open your eyes. Yes! The ice cream truck, shouting it's playful tune, is coasting easily down your street. Your hand reaches down to your pocket and success! You jump to your feet and run to the edge of your yard, beckoning the driver to pull over. The colors are dazzling, and advertise the most delicious and appealing treats you could imagine! Your eyes fly from one blissful thing to the next, and come to rest on the red, white, and blue Popsicle. You desire nothing else but to hold that marvelous blend of sugar and ice in your hand. You pay the saint of an ice cream truck driver and thank him with a brilliant youthful smile. As you come to sit under the tree once more, you look at the miracle in your hands, already tasting it. Delicately, but with a terrifying amount of urgency, you tear the wrapper and bring the Popsicle to your lips. The cold is an instant cure for your previous misery. You no longer feel the heat, as all you notice is the remarkable sensation proceeding to unfold within your mouth. It is stupendous! You have hardly experienced this level of relief before, and you couldn't be more grateful. You continue on in this elated state, forgetting the heat and all other troubles. For, what could be better than a red, white and blue Popsicle on a hot day?

As dramatic as that retelling is, I have found that in the moment, a simple Popsicle can truly be a miracle. Don't take the small things in your life for granted. Because some day, when you really need it, there might not be an ice cream truck, and the heat could overwhelm you. Allow yourself to live in the moment. Let there be trifles galore!