It has been a particularly stressful week what with everything going on. The tree thing, the kid in the hospital thing, the cross-country flights thing, the Presidential Twitter-spewing thing, etc etc. The cross-country trip added a few extra complications with missed rehearsals and a performance, rescheduled film shoots and wholesale meetings, plus the logistics of suddenly moving the 25 year old to Pittsburgh on 3 days notice. My head was spinning from keeping everything together mentally while trying to reign in the chaos.
People say, “it’s the little things” that make all the difference. Honestly, I always kind of thought that notion was crap…an excuse to do the bare minimum. I have always tried to do the grand gestures and would beat myself up if I found myself lacking in the time of a loved one’s crisis.
The fact of the matter is that this week proved the “little things” have a huge impact. The pancake dates, lunches, and dinners. The long drives to the airport just for a selfie and a hug. Taco Tuesday at our old stomping grounds. The offer of a bed for a night or three. The guy at the Indian restaurant who remembers your name and your “usual.” Karaoke at our favorite dive bar. Pho. All the latest juicy gossip. The hugs. The hugs. The hugs.
When you haven’t seen some of these people in three years the fact that they are willing to put their lives on hold for you for even just a few minutes means everything.
So while next week will be nutty as I try to catch every ball that got dropped while I was gone, just knowing how loved I am will make that bitter pill so much easier to swallow.