At the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea the USA won gold in the women’s cross-country team sprint, a first-ever medal in that event. They beat the Swedish team by 0.19 seconds. Nineteen one hundredths of a second. The average blink of a human eye is one third (0.33) of a second. Less than a quarter of a second was the difference between gold and silver.
Looking down at one’s cell phone for three seconds while driving can easily mean death.
To type something on a keyboard, try this. Place your fingertips in the normal position (ASDF-JKLsemicolon), then move them 0.75 of an inch to the right and begin typing. “Begin typing” becomes “nrhom yu[omh. In other words, gibberish. All because of three quarters of an inch.
Small things matter. Of course, some small things matter much more than others. But my point is that careful attention to small things can be prudent . . . even life-saving.
Several centuries ago a sage said: “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much.” The flip side is that one who is inattentive or derelict in small, less important matters exhibits a pattern that will likely carry over to bigger, more important matters.
A fellow was surprised when his automobile engine seized up. The investigating mechanic discovered that the last oil change was 27,422 miles ago. Go figure.
A woman asked her husband of fifteen years why he never tells her that he loves her. His reply: “I told you I did fifteen years ago and nothing’s changed.” Oh yes it has! Go figure.
Small things can make a big difference. I find that a good idea now and then is to survey my life to ascertain if there are any small things I’m not doing (or doing), a change of which might result in a quite positive consequence for me and/or others.
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