Life is a rush for most of us. Often our daily routines may look something like this: wake up, work, to do lists, chores, eat, sleep and repeat. And so it goes with the days becoming weeks, then months and finally years.

This morning as part of my gratitude practice, I wrote that having time and living a flexible lifestyle is one of my joys in my life. I am very blessed to be able to do this and realize it is a huge gift, which I try not to take for granted.

Whether you are flexible or not, I really believe that life is in those tiny now moments. If we can find the time to enjoy a tiny pleasure or make little changes in our life, each has a ripple effect on our bigger whole. Like a drop of water into a pond, the ripples spread out and touch the entire body of water.

Take time. Open up. Enjoy tiny now moments.

I have found some simple ways to enjoy tiny moments in my everyday life. The happiness each brings to me far outweighs the time I take to do it. Perhaps one of these sparks an idea to bring a tiny ripple into your own life:

• Each and every morning I make time to practice gratitude. Research suggests that practicing gratitude makes you happier. I feel happier when I spend a few moments writing a list in my journal. Coming from a place of gratitude, life is feels so much easier, don’t you agree?
• My inner child loves to play; whether I am browsing a craft shop for goodies, collecting feathers for my next dreamcatcher, watching Notre Dame through the bubbles or simply going on a photo walk; she joins me.
• I focus on taking that hard first step, but only the first tiny step, and with time I find myself being more active and the steps become bigger. My body feels healthier and I have fun along the way.
• Coffee is one of my obsessions, in a good way. In fact, it is probably best to hand me a cup of coffee before you try to have a conversation with me in the morning. I have slowly adapted my morning ritual over the last few months to include a warm cup of lemon water first. My body likes this revitalizing way of waking up and I can feel the ripple effect.
• On my walks, I often stop at the same flower over and over to see it in a different light. Both literally and figuratively. Each day has its own nuances that create a new view on the same object. And with my olloclip macro lens, I can see the tiny magic so much better. Each raindrop on a spring flower reflects all the available light back to me on a grey day, just like magic!
• My biggest lesson from Tammy’s writing e-course, which I recently completed for the second time, is the tiniest and simplest one. Be consistent and write every day! I learnt many new things on the course, but this tiny reminder had the biggest impact on me. I am grateful that writing is part of my morning ritual again. And it fits so well with exploring my creativity more, one of my words for 2014.
• Life does get hectic. Things do get tough. It isn’t always roses and moonbeams. I always try to remember to breathe first. Sometimes I need to count to ten. Sometimes I don’t make it past 3. Sometimes I don’t even start counting. 😉 However, taking a conscious breath in and out, tiny as it is, helps to refocus my attention and allows me to view things in a different way. Go on, give it a try next time things get tough! Or don’t wait, do it right now. It only takes a few seconds. Breathe in through the nose and, for more effect, loudly out through the mouth. Feel anything?

Time. Open. Now.

So just for today, yes right now, take a tiny moment. Find something tiny to do, perhaps a tiny joy in your everyday life or a tiny step towards a new ritual that could grow into a life change. All you need is to start small. Do one tiny thing with big presence everyday and watch out for the ripples in your life.

Which tiny step are you going to take today? Share your spark here and let your ripples inspire someone today.

with gratitude, Delicia