Chaos Theory Might Have Merit

Sometimes it is truly amazing how one tiny little thing can change the entire course of your day, and even your entire mood. Heck, one little thing can not only change everything about your day, but about the days of those around you. And I'm talking about something truly tiny, like a 2 minute unimportant phone call or something--nothing that would usually make any type of difference in the day.

Something little like that, however, when interacting with a cesspool of emotions that are related in some small part to one little facet of the event, can modify the outlook on the day completely. Little things, sometimes they seem to have a bigger effect than some of the big things that should outweigh it. You can get caught on one little emotion that creeps to the surface, not let go, and before you know it you're staring at a tree instead of looking at the majestical forest around you.

I used to think that these feelings stemming from stupid, little things didn't have merit. I used to think that they were just knee-jerk reactions to a fierce emotion that came on strong, much like you'd pull back from a hot stove when you touch it before you even know it's hot. I don't quite think that way anymore. Instead, I see those feelings that arise from seemingly inconsequential events as a red flag being waved. There's something there deep inside you that's being set off that needs to be let out and addressed. No doubt it's been penned up so long and walled in so hard that a pin prick to the right area is going to let it fly out, probably with a lot of force.

So when that torrential flood of emotion overcomes you after a little, tiny event, you will probably be the only person that is able to understand why you feel that way at that time. Everyone else will no doubt think you're overreacting. Heck, I often think that about people when they get super emotional about something little... until I try really hard to put myself in their shoes and look at all of the details that might have contributed to that moment. Only then can I really attempt to relate and help someone out with what they are feeling.

It's this lack of "putting on the other person's shoes" that, I believe, leads to a lot of today's misunderstandings, arguments, and problems. When someone asks you to do something ludicrous for them, it is a lot easier to shrug it off and say that they're overreacting than it is to really look at why he or she might want you to do it and realize that maybe it's the right thing to do.

"It's the little things that kill." --Bush