I suppose all of us think out lives are large, or at least larger than many living things on this planet. We live longer than most animals, if that's any guage of a big life. Some might argue that most people have little lives because they don't have much, thinking perhaps their own life is larger because they have more. Living large, that's a term I hear from time to time. I never hear anyone brag about living small because they means doing without, or perhaps it means living a life without a lot of excitement or fun. If that's true, we live in a world where most life is small.
I grew up in a mill village in South Carolina around people who didn't have much. They worked their asses off in cotton mills, but I don't remember much complaining. Just having a job seemed to please most of them. My community was full of mostly small houses occupied by people who earned meager wages for the work they did. They got by, managed to have a few nice things, and for the most part life was good for them. Looking back on my upbringing, I think the best thing that ever happened to me was growing up around those people. I loved them, still do. Things have changed there these days. The cotton mills are gone, but the little houses are still there, and they're still occupied by people who work hard to have a decent life. I live in Texas now, but my home town isn't a lot different from where I grew up. Most people do what it takes to get by, and some of them don't make enough money to do that and end up dependent on the government for some help. I don't mind that, and I don't think of these people has having little lives. Besides, it's not up to me to decide what kind of life they have.
I don't think of myself as having a large life. We do OK, manage to make ends meet most of the time, and we have some things so people would think means large living. My house is large, and I have several large cars. But we don't travel much, don't have a budget for recreation, and we usually don't buy what we don't need. Most of our money goes for basic things, and that includes paying the leeches - the blood suckers like insurance premiums, taxes, and utility bills. But doesn't everyone? It's the American way, and it a way that keeps a whole lot of people living little lives. Living a good live, one that's not so small that it hurts, sure isn't a freebie . . . and no one should expect it to be.
I've come to realize that my life is dependent on little lives. Nothing pleases me more than holding a kitten in my hands, or a puppy, or any small animal just starting life. I love animals, all kinds of animals, and without them my life wouldn't be worth living. My point is simple. There is no such thing as a small life. A little life can sometimes make my day a million dollar day, and at the same time, an encounter with a big life can sometimes make my day not worth a penny. If someone gave me the choice between being able to hold a newborn kitten or shake hands with a sports hero or big time politician, the kitten wins hands down. Think small and it sometimes makes you large.
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