About small things 

Many people seem to find it odd when one’s happiness originates from small things in life when it’s not actually a bad thing.

Why is that some might find it weird when you cheer up seeing an old couple slowly walking together or receiving a simple yet thoughtful gift as your favourite gum? It might be because in these modern days everyone is made to rush and not to have enough time to appreciate small things and gestures in life and it might seem out of the ordinary when someone does find the time to see the beauty of everyday life.

I believe we all should take a break to be able to see something other than our office and the duties we have. We should stop thinking and worrying about the future for at least one or two hours a day. Covid, although, it was and a tragic event for the whole world, showed us what it is like to relax, stop being in such a hurry 24/7 and spending time with the ones we love doing the things we enjoy the most. Of course, we still have a job or school to care about along with personal responsibilities, but we shouldn’t let it take over the time we spend on ourselves.

When we have time or simply get fed up with the work, we must get done we should be able to take even just a 10–20-minute break which is not for smoking cigarettes or vaping but going on a short walk with a college in work or a friend from school. Let’s take Italy as an example where everyone closes the shop and leaves work to get lunch for like an hour. This is a great way to gain energy for the rest of the day.

Giving compliments or just a quick smile to a stranger can improve not only their mood but ours too. We should normalize going to places we used to enjoy as kids and stopped doing as adults, a zoo, or a playground (which we should design for adults too) for example. Getting out of our way to stop and talk to the nice old lady in the neighbour can also be a great way to quit the madness going on around us and listen along with learning from her stories and experiences. There are several more way a person might find a moment of piece.

In my opinion our generation should be the one that breaks the circle by taking a break. We should focus on finding a way to spend time on the things and people we love while also studying and going to work but not taking those home with us.

Borbély Petra Georgina