For whatever reason, I have this mindset that I can never fully finish anything. It drives those who know me absolutely insane. For example, if there are two marshmallows left in the bag, I may eat one and perhaps a fraction of the second, but I can never bring myself to be the very last one to eat the last morsel. This is very clearly why my fridge and my pantry right now are collections of small little morsels just waiting for the right moment to be "saved and eaten." I'm like a little mouse. Just a warning though, it does not create a very organized pantry. Even worse, the "small moment to be saved for later" is generally forgotten and left behind. Then, no new small little memories are made. Talk about depressing. 

I think my mindset is that I never want a good thing "fully gone." I think there is magic in the small. Even opening up the pantry and seeing that there is that one cookie left creates a whimsy. It's this anticipation of good things to come, anticipation of the small sweet taste and the longer I hold out, the longer this whimsy will last. 

This world is all about the "big things." I remember thinking about my own wedding and realizing just "how big" everything has become. Cars on the road must be the biggest, houses must be the largest. But big things lose their charm. there is no savoring the small morsels. You are taking it all and eating without even tasting the last crumb. 

With kids, as a teacher, I have found that this same rule applies. The big is often overlooked and what you deemed as worthless or insignificant becomes the "biggest" thing to them. A great example of this was at my meeting today. We were discussing student speeches but before doing so I had brought in my hot water maker to make hot chocolate. I had finally remembered hot chocolate (a big thing) and the water maker (I thought another big thing.) Yet, most students were in awe of the mini marshmallows. "I don't even want the hot chocolate" one student said. "May I just have a big cup of marshmallows instead?" 

The small morsels always win. Why? Because the big stuff is often thought about but the small stuff is often overlooked. Until sometimes you look around and realize "wow!" those mini marshmallows actually make the whole cup of hot chocolate. Even better, you can stick them in your pocket and save them for later. You cannot always save the big things because often those big things aren't even worth saving. But something about those small leftovers makes life all worth while. 

Remember, if you have a few marshamallows left, remember to put them in a small baggie, place them in your pantry and every time you see them say to yourself, "Even life's smallest whimsies can be saved for another time." Save the whimsy. Make it last.