Little things

Little things

Little things mean the world to some. Not doing those same little things can inflict a lot of hurt. The whole impression we have of someone, in fact the whole impression we have of a creed of people can be changed by one little thing. One tiny bit of help can revise your opinion of people and change the way we regard them. One tiny bit of difference in the way someone treats you compared to others magnifies your resentment. We give people a dirty look, we make an off-hand comment, we coerce, we make someone feel awkward. That bit of spitefulness, that showing our disapproval, that reaction to what we see, can have a hugely detrimental impact on some people. And we have no clue about the consequences. The cumulative affect of you and others doing it too, destroys.

This story revolves around little things. It is not far removed from what goes on tirelessly in an infant’s playground. We would think we would grow up, but we don’t. Not really.

There were little things that Laura would not do. Not looking at me. Certainly not smiling at me or coming over to me. They ushered in the staring competition, the refusal to move until she smiled and the curiosity ploy. She more than made up for this though by being marvellous company and obliging with a new dance move I wanted to try out. She had these most wonderful facial expressions. Endearing facial expressions that sometimes matched what she was saying through her mouth.

Truth can be a poison or medication. I had fumbled with something that had therapeutic value but became noxious. She scolded me in a most demeaning manner. I have nothing she needs, nothing she wants and cannot fulfil anything she craves. Only a fool would go beyond the first rejection. Only a sadist would enjoy this sort of pain. Only a narcissist would have this level of faith in themselves. I extended the torture for far longer than necessary. Or to be fair, it was necessary to get the golden nuggets that I began to write about.

I did not plan any of this. There was no ulterior motive. Nothing was premeditated. I did not go out and select a target to aim at. I can recall the moment I thought of adding Laura to this text but have no clue what really spurred it. Life passes us by in a blur. Time slipped by quickly when I stumbled on this to focus on.

“Never tell a potential partner how beautiful they are.” It boosts their ego and lowers your comparative value. You leave that until a good way into the courting ritual. I had written something using every superlative except the word beautiful and presented it to the one person outside of family that I treasure the most.