How the Littlest Things Make the Biggest Impact

The oldest adage still rings true today—it’s the little things that help differentiate one thing from another, and when you have a family member with special needs, it’s the little things, like the way that strangers interact with our family in public, that can make the biggest impact.

For instance, I recently read an article that was written by a mother of two children that were both legally blind and were also both diagnosed with Autism. As I’m sure you can imagine, something as simple at going to the grocery store was a monumental task for this mother, due to the specific challenges her children faced.

In this article, the mother wrote of a particular trip to the grocery where both of her children went into meltdown mode when it came time to cash out. While nobody wants to hear children throwing a fit, we all have a choice as to how we perceive these “fits” and how we choose to respond to them. That day, this particular cashier decided she was going to “do the little things” well and help this mother, rather than judge her.

The author of the blog went on to explain how the cashier at the grocery immediately stepped up by allowing the children to scan the items as they came down the conveyor belt. The kids responded with a total 180-degree shift, as they began having fun instead of continuing their meltdown.

I share this with you because there are so many people that are dealing with their own personal problems—of which, we often will never know. Here at The Safety Sleeper, we are fortunate enough to hear stories like this often, which encourages us reflect on the kindness and generosity that is still very much alive in this world, though we are often inundated with negative messages all around us.

The cashier in this story decided to do a little thing in consciously choosing to be part of a solution, rather than judge someone for problems beyond their control. Such a small shift in mindset completely changed this Mother’s Day. I’m encouraging our community to choose to do the little things this holiday season, because you never know how great an impact those little things can have.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook as we celebrate generosity of spirit with the 25 Days of Giving, where we will share the stories of families that have touched our hearts.