Stop And Smell The Roses | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

Noticing The Little Things In Life Is So Underrated, Stop And Smell The Roses, All Of Them

I notice when my mom cuts up tiny pieces of apples, oranges, and strawberries, and hands them to me on a plate.

41
Girl

I consider myself a writer, so of course, the root of my existence is to daydream. Recently I've been paying attention to little nuances I've never paid any mind to before. I have the most random thoughts and questions pop up in my head as I zone out in my sustainability class. I watch as my professor speaks from the PowerPoint slides, listening to her unique accent without comprehending what she's saying, and wonder what her childhood was like growing up. My eyes then gaze towards a guy sitting in front of me. He's reading a long text message full of heart emojis. I assume it was a heartfelt paragraph written by his significant other and wonder how he's feeling right now reading that — how his relationship must be. He blushes and cannot stop staring at his phone to read the text.

Some may just say that I have my head in the clouds. But, if you take the time to notice the complexities of people and things in the world around you, then you undoubtedly begin to develop a consciousness that extends beyond your own daily functioning. You begin to grow a healthy curiosity about the rest of the world and a sense of compassion that can do nothing but good.

Have you ever wondered who made the clothes you're wearing right now? Who used to walk on the same ground you're walking on right now, about 100 years ago? How the president of your college/university even got that job? What your boss's/professor's life is like outside of school/work? Where the people sitting next to you on public transportation are trying to go and have come from? Who wrote the graffiti on the building you just walked past?

Besides noticing the little things about the world, you should also keep in mind the ones that pertain to you and the people in your life. "Enjoy the little things in life because one day you`ll look back and realize they were the big things." — Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Life is made up of so many small moments. The little things in life mean everything. And I notice every little thing, good or bad.

I notice when my mom cuts up tiny pieces of apples, oranges, and strawberries, and hands them to me on a plate as I sit at my desk doing homework without bothering me. I notice the light coming into my room when I wake up at nine every morning — how it illuminates the whole room and is the perfect lighting to remind me that I have a whole new day ahead of me.

I notice when friends start to slowly exit from my life — using a different, uninterested tone when speaking to me in person, replying with brief texts or deciding not to text back at all. I've noticed how some people can change due to nothing but time.

There are so many things we never take the time to notice or wonder about, and the second that you do, you realize how little you really know about the world and people in your life. This realization is a healthy one, though. For many, it is a moment which marks early adulthood, when it suddenly hits you that you know absolutely nothing, and want to know everything.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
ross geller
YouTube

As college students, we are all familiar with the horror show that is course registration week. Whether you are an incoming freshman or selecting classes for your last semester, I am certain that you can relate to how traumatic this can be.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

Bonus points if it is more than two.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Economic Benefits of Higher Wages

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

300801
Illistrated image of people crowded with banners to support a cause
StableDiffusion

Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage would not only benefit workers and their families, it would also have positive impacts on the economy and society. Studies have shown that by increasing the minimum wage, poverty and inequality can be reduced by enabling workers to meet their basic needs and reducing income disparities.

I come from a low-income family. A family, like many others in the United States, which has lived paycheck to paycheck. My family and other families in my community have been trying to make ends meet by living on the minimum wage. We are proof that it doesn't work.

Keep Reading...Show less
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments