Your life is about what you do every day.

You are living your life in this very moment.  Your life is now.

People wait for the big moments, the major life choices, to demonstrate their knowledge, humility, righteousness, love, or charity.  Choices like winning the lottery, marriage, home ownership, children, work, and career.

We are a nation of people who think that if we nail the big decisions, that everything will be perfect.

If you marry the right person, you will be happy.  If you pick the right career, you will be fulfilled.  If you have the right car, you will feel better about yourself.

Unfortunately, the big decisions are only the visible fruit of the invisible seeds of smaller moments.  Picking the right partner for marriage is a result of being the right person for marriage.  Of having high standards.  Of always being in integrity with yourself and your partners.  These aren’t standards that you nail once for the big test, they are guidelines for living your life.

Losing weight is about the choices you make on a daily basis.  Falling in love occurs through a series of small moments, not grand gestures.  Living your purpose isn’t about doing what you love for lots of money.

The truth of the matter is, you can be very comfortable and happy in this country without being rich.

The virtues extolled by Benjamin Franklin – be frugal, live in moderation, speak with sincerity, be committed to your decisions – are virtues that create a life of wealth; virtues which are exercised on a daily basis.

Do your job well.  Live below your means.  Cherish your family.  Give.

Whenever movies wish to depict a loving, happy family, they always show that family around a dinner table.  Why?

Dinnertime is a moment that happens in every day, in every family.

Dinnertime is the moment when the family can come together and be with each other.  Passing the bread to your child, having your father scoop some mashed potatoes on to your plate, or having your wife wink at you as she saves you both drumsticks.

Dinnertime is a moment, in a day of moments, where the giving isn’t earth-shattering or groundbreaking.

But it is sincere and full of love.

Going to the grocery store can be a chore and a hassle.  You fight for a parking space, jockey your cart through the aisles, try to make your way past screaming children.  (Maybe it’s your children screaming.)  By the time you see a teller, they may have their eyes glued to a computer screen and may not have even looked at you before they start their ‘job’.  It’s easy to ignore each other.  You don’t even have to talk to them - just slide your card, grab your bags, and go.

But life is about dealing with people.

No matter how insignificant your interactions or small the moment, it is still worth treating everyone like your closest friend.  An open smile and a caring heart shouldn’t be ’saved’ for people you know and care about.  Every person is important; every action an opportunity to be a better person, brighten someones day, or share a deliberate act of kindness.

Could you imagine a world where dealing with each other is a pleasure?  Can you imagine a place where you know your neighbors?  Could you look forward to seeing the same teller at the bank because she always remembers that you like the orange lollipops and asks you about your pet hamster?

Would we, in that Brave New World, wonder what our purpose is?