Revisiting the Magic of Small

When everything feels overwhelming, our best course of action is often found in our routines—the small things that keep us moving when we don’t know where to turn.

That thought takes me back to a piece of artwork I got for my granddaughter’s nursery that featured a line from Shakespeare’s play – A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Though she be small, she is fierce.

That line struck me then, and it holds true now. Something small can change everything.

That tiny girl lit up every room she entered, bringing joy to every moment.

She was definitely fierce in the best possible way. She’s now older and a competitive cheerleader and that fierceness is still with her.

But beyond those little ones, we know the value of small lives in many things, even if we take our eyes away from it from time to time.

Think about it. A single smile can change someone’s entire day.

Every plant we enjoy, including those that nourish us physically began as a tiny seed.

In fact, look at our trees.

An acorn grows to become a towering oak tree. And those redwoods, the tallest trees in the world that reach heights of over 350 feet began as a seed small enough to balance on the tip of a finger.

Have you ever considered the power of the dot at the end of a sentence? That simple period is the smallest mark in writing, but it creates clarity, finality and understanding.

And going to the arts again for a moment, if you removed one note from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, it wouldn’t be the same masterpiece. Small parts make the whole.

Then ask any athlete about the power of one second. Races are won and lost by a fraction of a second. Champions are born.

It’s true for all of us as well. The list can go on and on of all the ways small is important.

But what if we took this back even to the words that hold that power because they are small.

What about YES? That's a powerful word. Here in this cohort we talk about that and the importance of saying YES to what is good and valuable for ourselves, our families, our communities, the world.

Then it makes sense to follow that with NO. That's an important one as well. Why? Without NO, there is no room for YES. Every time we choose YES, we are also choosing NO. And when we say NO, we create space for the right YES. The key is knowing which one belongs in the equation.

Another small word that has proven powerful for me is NOW. It is one of my focus words this year. It reminds me to value where I am and to act without hesitation. Too often, we worry about the future or let fear hold us back. But the best time to move is NOW.

Which leads me to one of my other favorite small but fierce words: YET. When we add this word to some of what we say to ourselves it can reframe it in a powerful way.

I am not where I want to be - yet.

See the difference? It definitely shifts you to the last word in our list - NEXT. What is NEXT hasn't happened YET, but it is on its way.

One final thought about something small. Sometimes, all it takes is one small breath to remind us of the good that still exists and the possibilities within reach.

My great-great-grandfather was Cherokee, and he passed many aspects of that culture down through his daughter, my great-grandmother, which ultimately came to me, several generations later. That perspective has shaped how I see history, legacy, and the unseen gifts life holds for us. A Native American prayer expresses this beautifully:

Let us be thankful for unknown blessings on their way.

Such a good way to see our lives and the future.

We can say YES to a future we know is filled with blessings already on their way. We can say NO to the fear that would keep us from anticipating and receiving them.

We can do that NOW without waiting a single moment knowing that even if what is happening NEXT hasn't happened YET, we can live in faith that it will.

My thanks to Shakespeare for the inspiration of his words. While his vocabulary and expression was never what you would really think of as small, in this case, he got it just right.

Though small, they are fierce. Our actions, our words, and even our breath—each holds the power to shape what comes NEXT. And that is no small thing.