THE SMALL THINGS MAKE BIG DIFFERENCES

THE SMALL THINGS MAKE BIG DIFFERENCES

If you’ve ever lived in the heart of Seattle or New York, or San Francisco, you know how difficult it can be to find parking. Especially during the holidays. And then once you’ve found a spot, holy cats! There’s the cost to park!

As I write this, I’m back home in LA for a quick trip. I’m sippin’ on a Moroccan Mint Tea Latte at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, listening to some Beach Boys in my earbuds, basking in the the warmth of a typical SoCal winter in the Riviera Village in Redondo Beach. I know. “Rub it in Mav3rick!”

Worry free about putting more coins into the meter, because the city of Redondo has given us a holiday treat of free parking! Which is great because I don’t carry coins. Of course I took the money I did saved and gave a bigger tip to the barista. Which is what the city was hoping I’d do. Well played Redondo. And well worth it. Now if we can get the city of Leavenworth to do the same. I'd love to shop around Christmastown USA. Same thing when we drop the change we got back while Christmas shopping into the Salvation Army bucket. After several hundred people a day...the small change fills up the buckets.

Ironically, it’s also a treat for a friend of mine to see actual plastic bags covering up the meters, reading, “Happy Holidays, Free Parking”. Because it’s a secondary gift for Californians who will steal the rare commodity of plastic bags before shopping at Trader Joe’s. See! It’s the small things!

It reminded me when I was walking down Main Street USA at Disneyland the other day. A small kid’s Mickey Mouse balloon suddenly popped, which of course startled the young lad. And caused the ghost of Ronald Reagan to say, “Missed me.” But before a tear could be shed, or Peter Pan assume it was Captain Hook shooting off a canon, a Cast Member quickly grabbed an identical balloon from a nearby vender and presented it to the family. Sometimes it’s the small things after all. Hummm. Maybe when I return to Wenatchee, a bunch of us from the radio station can walk up and down The Avenue and hand out free balloons to Christmas shoppers!

Sometimes the small things are big things for those we’re gifting. Even when you’re just doing your job. For an example, my friend reminded me when I was a kid working at 93.5 KFOX right here in Redondo Beach, I had a contest where “caller 10” had an issue with their phone and it disconnected. It happens. So I went to the next caller for the win. About 20 minutes later, the original “caller 10” dialed back and apologized for the issue she was having with the work phone. She and her coworkers at a coffee shop loved the radio station. So after I got off the air, I drove over to the coffee shop and dropped off a few bumper stickers and some KFOX shirts that I just happened to have in the back of my car. They couldn’t believe it. Made their day. It’s the small things that meant a lot to them.

Back at our studios in Wenatchee, we have an encouragement board. I love walking into work and seeing something new written with a positive message. It’s as energizing as the first cup of coffee on an early morning. And likewise, I love leaving a note as well. It’s the small things that mean a lot to me.

I’d love to hear your story or an example of how the small things were a big deal to someone or yourself. In the meantime, I’m going to do some Christmas shopping for my family and friends here in SoCal. I’ll save my Christmas shopping for my friends in Wenatchee when I get back. I want to make sure I shop locally. Because, it’s the small things.