30 days of self-love: tiny perfect things

Children are wise. I think that’s one reason why it’s so hard (for me, at least) to write a children’s book. You have an audience known for a short attention span, and a keen sense of when a story is worth listening to.

That’s why I love a really well-written children’s book. It distills a story to its most compelling elements.

I was given the book pictured above as a gift, and I like to keep it displayed to remind me how the most foundational of spiritual themes can be found in a children’s story: awe, presence, excitement, appreciation of the mundane, finding beauty in the ordinary. I pick it up and read it sometimes for inspiration before a walk, or when I need a good reminder of how I am always surrounded by some magic to noticed.

In Tiny, Perfect Things, the little girl and her grandfather go for a walk around their neighborhood. Every step reveals another wonder to be discovered: a leaf, a spiderweb, a crow, a red bottle cap, a cat.

She says,

“The world is full of wonders,

no matter where we go.

Can we go again tomorrow?

I wonder what we’ll see.”

The Dalai Lama says,

“Be kind whenever possible.

It’s always possible.”

I can’t be sure, but I think he might say the same about the world.

An excitement for your life, rooted in a joy of what’s around you, whenever possible.

It’s always possible.

How many tiny, perfect things can you find?