Little Things...

[DDT (12)]

Funny how some of the most seemingly insignificant items can actually turnout to be so major over time! Little details, slight gestures, small items, surprise gifts, even found trinkets… almost anything that can escape much notice initially, but that can later influence our moods and overall feelings so profoundly… Yep, I’m thinking of just such a specific thing as I compose this post…  

The first couple of weeks of treatments were a real struggle for this most inexperienced receiver of such medical attention… I’d been a lost ball in high weeds during those dark early days struggling to find an acceptable stride, and my spirits had suffered considerably. No fooling, I was more than a little bit down in the mouth, and I was very seriously thinking back then that I might have to abandon the entire project. Then… 

An unexpected ‘Ninja visit’ by a couple of very special folks changed everything. No, there was no immediate ‘ah ha!’ or anything more than barely perceptible at the time, but as things have gone on afterward… Yep, everything has changed for the better. My mood, my prospects, and most importantly the results have shown remarkable improvement! There was also that cap Sheila had picked-up for me… 

I don’t wear that head adornment all the time, of course, but during our periodic cool snaps it has come in amazingly handy! One or two ‘moisture’ events during any given week, plus the passage of cold fronts now and then with their associated dropping temps, and suddenly I’m rather easy to spot in a crowd now! But there is even more… 

Thanks Waterbug!!!
ie  

Yes, it is functional, and it is serving me quite well… It is also a visual reminder that two very special friends went out of their way to help this unworthy, flawed mortal. Our Creator is certainly good, and He/She is most generous in so many ways… For my money, the blessing of friendship is very high on that list. When not holding that garment up with my cranium, I find myself looking at it sometimes, and that never fails to bring a broad smile to my lips and feelings of genuine gratitude to my soul… No, it may not seem like much, but… 

DDT

[Skinhead]

Glad things are looking up for you Bruce, and you are correct, Dennis and Sheila are truly friends to cherish.  I'm glad they could help you out.

[Ice]

Bruce,

Good to see you on the board and the Pic you posted, your looking good, none the worse for wear.
I like the title of your post "Little Things" and as you I have found that a kind word or an unexpected gesture go a long way to make someone feel a lot better than they did 5 seconds before.
You my friend are well deserved of all the friends and kind folks, you are one of a kind.
Looking forward to you being back out in the wind and getting the opportunity to read your newest adventures.....The Bruce Chronicles ride again!
Take good care my friend and we'll see you on the road less traveled.

[Valkorado]

I've been thinking of you often.  You have not been forgotten, that's for sure.  You are loved by most all here, that's a fact.

The little things are by far the most essential.  Some folks are in a better position to take 'em for granted whether by luck or labor, others only have the small blessings and need no reminding.  Guess I'm somewhere in the middle.

Good friends are awesome, and are among the biggest of the little things.  

I sometimes think of an old song from the classic musical Porgy and Bess.  Plenty O' Nothing.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3gg2Jv2ebns

I've got plenty of nothing and nothing's plenty for me...

I've got the sun, I've got the moon, I've got the deep blue sea...*

ALI and friends around all corners patiently await your healthy return!


*
Oh, I got plenty o' nuttin'
And nuttin's plenty for me
I got no car, got no mule
I got no misery
De folks wid plenty o' plenty
Got a lock on de door
'Fraid somebody's a-goin' to rob 'em
While dey's out a-makin' more
What for?
I got no lock on de door
Dat's no way to be
Dey kin steal de rug from de floor
Dat's okeh wid me
'Cause de things dat I prize
Like de stars in de skies
All are free

Oh, I got plenty o' nuttin'
And nuttin's plenty for me
I got a gal, got my song
Got Hebben the whole day long
No use complaining
Got my gal, got my Lawd
Got my song

Oh, I got plenty o' nuttin'
And nuttin's plenty for me
I got the sun, got the moon
Got the deep blue sea
De foks wid plenty o' plenty
Got to pray all de day
Seems wid plenty you sure got to worry
How to keep the debbel away
Away
I ain't frettin 'bout hell
'Till de time arrive
Never worry long as I'm well
Never one to strive
To be good, to be bad
What the hell
I is glad I's alive

Oh, I got plenty o' nuttin'
And nuttin's plenty for me
I got a gal, got my song
Got Hebben the whole day long
No use complaining
Got my gal, got my Lawd
Got my song

Those are lyrics to live by, Bruce.  I know you are well aware.

[Wizzard]

I got everything I need and nothing that I don't. That sums it up

[Bret SD]

Funny how some of the most seemingly insignificant items can actually turnout to be so major over time! Little details, slight gestures, small items, surprise gifts, even found trinkets… almost anything that can escape much notice initially, but that can later influence our moods and overall feelings so profoundly… Yep, I’m thinking of just such a specific thing as I compose this post… 

The first couple of weeks of treatments were a real struggle for this most inexperienced receiver of such medical attention… I’d been a lost ball in high weeds during those dark early days struggling to find an acceptable stride, and my spirits had suffered considerably. No fooling, I was more than a little bit down in the mouth, and I was very seriously thinking back then that I might have to abandon the entire project. Then…

An unexpected ‘Ninja visit’ by a couple of very special folks changed everything. No, there was no immediate ‘ah ha!’ or anything more than barely perceptible at the time, but as things have gone on afterward… Yep, everything has changed for the better. My mood, my prospects, and most importantly the results have shown remarkable improvement! There was also that cap Sheila had picked-up for me…

I don’t wear that head adornment all the time, of course, but during our periodic cool snaps it has come in amazingly handy! One or two ‘moisture’ events during any given week, plus the passage of cold fronts now and then with their associated dropping temps, and suddenly I’m rather easy to spot in a crowd now! But there is even more…

Thanks Waterbug!!!
ie

Yes, it is functional, and it is serving me quite well… It is also a visual reminder that two very special friends went out of their way to help this unworthy, flawed mortal. Our Creator is certainly good, and He/She is most generous in so many ways… For my money, the blessing of friendship is very high on that list. When not holding that garment up with my cranium, I find myself looking at it sometimes, and that never fails to bring a broad smile to my lips and feelings of genuine gratitude to my soul… No, it may not seem like much, but…

DDT

Bruce, I'm pretty convinced now that we're brothers from another mother. My girl says I am the easiest to please person that she's ever met. She hates buying gifts for me because when she asks me what I want, I say I already have everything I need. Then she surprises me with the most thoughtful little gift and is delighted when I use it everyday.
I really don't care about stuff, but I do love my Valkyrie :-)

[The emperor has no clothes]

That lady up in Montana didn't think it was a "little thing". (Having friends like Dennis and Sheila is indespensable)

[DDT (12)]

Really nice replies! Yep, we all do appear to hold similar views of what is actually important and what are mere trappings... indeed even 'traps' of a sort! Humans are imperfect, flawed, frustrating beings, but they are still the 'best game in town'. My own imperfections even frustrate myself to no end at times! Oh well, as long as our species remains stuck at this level of evolution, I'm starting to think, it will continue to be such with little to no discernable change...

In the meantime, I seek to stumble-on continuing to attempt to refine what I think it might be that truly matters, and what all it is that a 'good person' should be doing... If getting myself in-line is so challenging, how could it be possible to 'straighten-out' all of mankind? Improvement not perfection is the only realistic goal possible, I'm now thinking, so...

Friendships are among the indispensable ingredients in life for sanity maintenance and hope for a 'happy future'... Those most surely are not possessions, gadgets, and trinkets, 'wealth' and titles, degrees or pedigrees that define our 'success'... Booker T. Washington is credited with saying, "It is not the level one achieves that measures success... It is the distance one travels..." I think he was onto something there... If friendships are any measure of success, though, then I'm a very successful rider!!! I appreciate y'all more than you know!!!

DDT