The office of a ‘friend’

Circadian category: Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Nikon D80; Focal length: 200mm; Aperture value: F/5.6; Exposure time: 1/125 sec.; ISO speed: 200

In life, it’s always the small, tiny, insignificant things that matter.  Sometimes, it’s the fleeting compliment or the passing smile that the giver of such sunshine doesn’t even know they unwittingly lifted your spirits.

Other times, it’s the best friend stepping just a tiny a step out of their way at the end of their busy day to let you know they’re all right.  And while you’re relieved that they’re all right, it’s not that they’re all right that makes your day, but rather the gesture of them thinking beyond their own life to think of the concerns of the people that matter in their life - to think of the concerns of those who care about them.

And other times, it’s the friend knowing you woke up at 6AM just so you could squeeze in seeing them for a few hours ‘cause you hadn’t seem them in a while, and just plain appreciating the gesture by shutting up about how you could’ve gotten more sleep.  Or the friend knowing you’ve been waiting for them to arrive for awhile, and approaching you, instead of standing there expecting you to come to them.  There is blunt, and then there is just plain unfeeling.

These scenarios require little to no effort on their part.  The compliments and smiles are merely infectious, but the later ones involve merely taking the opportunity to be a little less egocentric to put yourself in the other person’s shoes for once and to anticipate the consequences.

These tiny, insignificant things mean nothing in the bigger picture, but they matter because they are real.  And their realness affects you directly.  Am I wrong?

Posted at 9:27 am in Circadian, Snapshots | Respond?