Daily Wisdom 11-13-2003 Just a Little Thing

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Just a Little Thing

It was just a little thing - not very much at all - probably not more than a teaspoon full.Still, it had cost me several hours on a Sunday afternoon that would have been better spent playing armchair quarterback or catching a few Zs. The night before, or was it early morning, I had just finished updating my website. Reaching for my cup of Diet Pepsi, I stood up with every intention of going to bed. Somehow, the lip of the cup struck the shelf just a couple of feet from my computer. That's when it happened! I maintained a tight grip on the cup; but, with a mind all their own, several molecules of liquid decided to seize the opportunity to escape. They took one giant leap toward my keyboard and landed right between F10, Delete, and Enter.

I grabbed a rag and quickly removed every drop in sight. Whew! Everything seemed ok. Then, one-by-one, keys became unresponsive. The "\" key began leaving trails - \\\\\\\\. Finally the entire keyboard quit. Even "Ctrl-Alt-Delete" had no effect. Well, I've never been one to take much stock in those "Don't try this at home" statements. So, I shut down, removed the screws from the back of the keyboard, and wiped out a few drops that had found their way inside. I then put it all back together, only to find it worked for just a few minutes before lapsing back into its previous unresponsive state. By then, it really was late (or early morning), so I shut down and went to bed. And that's why I ended up using my Sunday afternoon to completely overhaul my keyboard. After several hours, two cans of liquid air, and completely disassembling every piece of the keyboard - I can say that data is once again making its way from my fingertips to files, folders, and the internet.

Large obstacles arise as we travel thru life, but often, its just a little thing that can cause our lives to come to a screeching halt. Like Roseanne Roseannadana used to say, "If it's not one thing, it's another"! Boromir (Lord of the Rings) said, "It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing (referring to the ring)." He supposed the ring to be a small thing, not realizing the power it held. That's the way it is with the little things in life. They can take over and produce devastating consequences. The little things can get us down and cause us to stumble if we allow them to. But there is another little thing that can play an important part. Winston Churchill observed, "Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference." How do you face the little things that come into your life? Do you see them as impassable mountains? Or are they merely speed bumps that slow your progress, allowing you a moment to look around and see where you are? Little things in our path aren't always fun, but they don't have to stop us. They certainly aren't worth our time worrying about. Another great man once said, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?" (-Jesus, Luke 12:25-26, NIV).