Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

By Lisa Ramsey

My husband, John, told me that when his brother, Ron, turned 18 he got a tattoo... I remember being a little freaked out when John got his... now I'm thinking, "So what?"... I think since hearing about the tragedy of a young guy in our town dying in a fire and John Travolta's son dying and my step-daughter just said goodbye to a friend who died from cancer, I'm looking at things a little differently... I have a bit of the “So what's” going on... not in a defiant way, but in a, "What's the big deal? Why get so bent out of shape about it?" way.... I let a lot of minor things (and a tattoo in the scope of things IS minor) get me razzed and my joy is stolen (or did I give it away by choosing to be angry?) and then what am I doing for those around me other than dragging them down, too, for something so insignificant.... What is the big deal about a tattoo, getting cut off in traffic, getting my feelings hurt, the ice being gone, the long line at the check-out counter, playdough in the carpet?  Yeah, there are big things out there that can throw a loop in our day; cancer, foreclosures, job loss, etc., but think about it, do we ever really let the big stuff warp us and ruin our day? I don't think as much as we do the small stuff... I like the power the words "So What" have... and I think I will continue to ask myself this daily... Couldn't you just see Jesus saying this in the Bible to a few people?  "So what, Peter?  The children are my priority, let them come to me."... "So what, Martha?  The dishes can wait."... So what, Lisa, all those petty things are nothing... LIVE, LOVE, LAUGHTER... don't give your joy away and don't sweat the small stuff.