My parents, grandparents, past boyfriends, and even friends have always told me “it’s the little things”. It is the little things in life that mean so much. It is the little things that we often take for granted. It is the little things that end up having the biggest impact on our lives. It is the little things in any relationship that make it work, or that don’t make it work.

Lately, I have tried my hardest to notice these little things, and take a mental note when I feel as though it is an important time, place, experience, or person to remember or take advantage of. I recently bought a piece of art for my wall that read, “This moment is more precious than you think”. I believe in this saying wholeheartedly. We never think that a particular moment is going to be the last. We always believe that there will be another time like this, or that we will see that person again, and that is why life is so shocking to most. Here are 13 “little things” that I have noticed in particular in which I truly believe are more precious that we initially might think.

• Eating dinner together at the kitchen table with your whole family.
• Watching a beautiful sunset.
• Experiences where cameras are not permitted.
• Lying in bed and watching a movie with your parents.
• Going for a long car ride alone.
• A mutually valued friendship.
• Getting an uninterrupted and comfortable night sleep.
• A home cooked meal.
• Being called beautiful.
• Love.
• Enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning.
• Laughing so hard that you cannot breathe—and, the thing that made you laugh so hard that you couldn’t breathe.
• Making someone else smile.

I believe everyone really needs to do this with their lives and try to notice the little things that they believe are extra precious. Everything happens for a reason, and life is short, so we need to take advantage of these small moments and make them big within our hearts.