From time to time I try to wrap my head around the big occurrences that ultimately influence the direction a person may take on the journey of life. Of course 9-11 is the big one we all think about these days; the people who woke up just a little bit late and missed their flight or those who didn't go into work and surely would have died if they had. They're the big things that happen that put our lives into a complete tailspin, sometimes forcing us to readjust the path we were previously taking and walk a more clean and careful course. But then I sometimes think about how even the smallest of things can make just as much of an impact, or sometimes even a greater one. That quick smile you gave the guy bagging your groceries, or the thirty seconds you took out of your day to hold the door for that pregnant lady. They are the little things that we forget about almost immediately after they happen; the things that not only shape our lives, but the lives of those who we had briefly connected with. Ever think about that guy who helped you pick up your keys in the parking lot a few years back? Maybe those precious few seconds when your two lives touched caused him to just miss getting into a car accident. Or maybe it did just the opposite. Or what about that woman whom you let go in front of you at the register. Maybe you unconsciously helped her run into her true love, or maybe you helped her miss him forever. How many times has a small connection with a complete stranger changed their life or yours? Most of us will never know, right? You could have the best intentions and hurt somebody or the worst intentions and help somebody. All it really boils down to is timing, and how the people you love, hate, and don't even know, influence those fleeting but invaluable moments.
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