I'm laid-up sick tonight.  I haven't had a chest cold this bad in years.  Germs, man.  Amazing how something so small can take down something so big.

It's humbling.

Likewise, at work this week, a series of tiny things took down the ability to move forward on my restaurant.  It's maddening. There are so many big items that remain on my checklist, and pesky little buggers are getting in the way.

Little things: their size belies their significance.

Anyway--while I was laid-up at the restaurant--rather than fall off the rails, I changed course.  I spent a few days rehabbing an old utility closet into a staff break room.  I painted every surface, including epoxying the floor with a cool metallic copper product.  I learned a lot about acid washing concrete, and it was a surprisingly fun way to use my forced down-time. 

And it all happened because I had to pause to respect the small stuff.

Reader, the longer I live, the more I realize that we are all an important part of an ecosystem.  The mites matter just as much as the mountains.  There's a balance to it all. It's delicate. It's powerful. It's unpredictable.

It's...mucus.  Bleh.  I should get back to resting. Anyway, this is just a friendly reminder to you: whether you feel big or small in the scheme of things, we all matter.  Take time to respect it all. I leave you with a picture of my friend Jeremy and his son Juna, who gave a set of drums to the restaurant this week.  Surprises--bad and good--come in all sizes. See you next Sunday. -Em