Joy in the Smallest Things

It's incredible how much joy small things can bring when you pay attention to them. For as long as I can remember, tiny things have always fascinated me. What I loved most about them were the many beautiful things I could create. Growing up, since I couldn't buy miniature toys myself, I would collect anything I thought I could use to create a small world of my own; bottle caps, beads, rocks, berries, sticks, leaves, flowers, whatever I could find, and I was off to find a bare patch of dirt or a flower pot to start building my little place. I'd begin drawing outlines in the earth where everything would be, whether it was a lake or a road or a house; I was excited to bring to life the picture I had painted in my mind.

I always started with the house. Sometimes I would lean twigs against each other to create a tent and follow the campground concept, building a small pyramid of sticks for the fire, surrounded by small stones and adding decorative details. Sometimes I would stand the twigs up straight and build walls for a house. Just for sturdiness, I'd find a pair of scissors, snip some crafting string, and tie them together. Then I'd cover the roof with moss. I'd find a mushroom for the chimney, a carefully clipped piece of bark for the door, rocks to pave the walkway, and a few extra touches to finish it off. Decorating was my favorite part. I would decorate everything as much as there was room to decorate. For me, it added life to my small world and color to the delicate lives I fanaticized. I'd dig small pits here and there for lakes and line the inside with a bit of plastic wrap to trap the water I'd fill it with after. Sometimes I'd pour in a bit of sand or glue some moss to the bottom as seaweed, dropping in a few small stones for a realistic touch. I lined the edges with cuttings of other small greens and moss, and sometimes, I remember, I'd find small water beetles and bugs and drop them into the new "lake" to bring it to life.

I'm one to save the best for last, so of course, I finish off with the garden. I love creating miniature forests and such. I find blossoms and sprouting plants and clip the tips off. After collecting the amount I wanted, I line them in the spaces I left open for them or bunch them together to make bushes dotting the yard here and there. I loved creating the gardens so much because all the different possibilities my imagination came up with never ran out. I clipped the ends of pine branches and stood them up for some extra green in the garden. I'd pull off the heads of moss and line them up in rows close together. Any plant there was, I'd find a use for it. Even the fruit in my refrigerator had a place in my little garden. Strawberries, blueberries, grapes, whatever I found there, it was never something my imagination couldn't tackle!

I filled in any bare patches of dirt with moss or rocks to add a little more decorativeness. There, as I worked, I loved imagining little magical creatures living in the tiny houses I made. I loved thinking up names for every miniature town, lake, and river and creating stories with the delicate characters living there. Sometimes I imagined that I was small enough to live there too. I pictured myself wandering through the carefully designed gardens or swimming in the magical pools and lakes.

Up until now, creating and just watching these worlds brings me a quiet, ethereal kind of joy. Small things always caught my attention. They made me think and wonder and helped expand my creativity. But more importantly, they taught me how significant even the littlest things are. I see value in ordinary boring-looking objects most people wouldn't give a second glance. Even though they're small and insignificant in many eyes, I value them for the beautiful things they can become and the joy they bring with just a little creativity.