All About the Little Things (Blog Hop)

"It's the little things in life." For many, easier said than done, right? Remembering to be mindful of the little good things to counterbalance all the little (and not so little) bad things that happen, day in and day out, can be difficult. Or at first even impossible. 

I read once that we're actually wired to remember the bad more—that negative experiences stand out more vividly in our minds in order to protect us. Basically, remembering that a berry tastes good (positive memory) is great, but it isn't going to save your life. Remembering that fire=burning yourself=ow (painful/negative memory) will prevent you from repeating the mistake of sticking your finger in the fire. So apparently, we're supposed to remember the bad things more easily, to help us avoid making the same mistake in the future, and in a biological sense, save our lives.

Now the issue of whether remembering a mistake helps us avoid it, especially when it comes to murkier situations than fire=hot, can be a whole series of posts on its own. Today, however, we're here to talk about the little things. Those small moments that nevertheless manage to stand out, and make us happy. 

As an author, that can be seeing someone purchased a copy of my book. (Yes, every individual sale matters that much to me right now. Maybe someday, if I ever sell hundreds of books a day, it won't. But right now, each sale boosts my mood.) Or, it could be learning someone enjoyed my book. And in fact, I don't think of either of those as "little."

In the rest of my life, many simple things make me happy. Because life is hard, for so many reasons, and I've had to learn to focus on even the "smallest" moments of good in order to make it through the day—though really, none of these moments is all that little either:

Seeing my nieces, especially if they're laughing. Hearing from a friend, even if just to say hi. Not having to cancel plans because of pain. Learning someone I care about has had something good happen. 

I could go on for a while, but that's not why we're here. Because we're wired to pay more attention to the small things—great and small—getting into the habit of even noticing the small good things can be a difficult and lengthy process. So while I encourage you all to try to notice the good little things, I'm going to kick it off for you with something that will hopefully brighten your day right away: a giveaway hop!

With over 100 blogs & authors are participating, you have many chances to win, both in the main Rafflecopter at the end of this post, and in each individual giveaway! I'll be giving away a Mending Heartstrings bag to one lucky US winner, and an e-copy of either one of my novels (winner's choice) to an international winner. And once you've entered, hop on over to the next post at Paula Kennedy Books!

My Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Hop Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway