Bottle caps

The other day I watched as a Grandfather treated four of his grandchildren to bottled root beers.  The kids had no idea what to do with a glass bottle sealed with a bottle cap.  On the wall next to the counter was a bottle opener.  After telling the oldest that the bottle opener was “right over there” it became apparent that the child had never seen a bottle opener, much less drank from a glass bottle before.  Grandpa came to the rescue.  He tilted the bottle and hooked the cap and with years of practice popped off the bottle cap and caught it in his free hand.  He then handed the bottle and the mysterious cap to the child.

Then the other three in turn had grandpa open their bottled treats as well.  They all took their bottle caps.

They sat at a table and visited, sipping their ice cold beverages and had a good time.  The younger kids played with the bottle caps.  A memory was born.  Just a small moment, but a fun one. 

With all our high tech and digital gadgets.  All the hustle and bustle of society today, having to know things up to the minute, updates, fast paced world, it is good to take a moment and enjoy something simple. 

Yes, the simple things.  I’ve been stressed for a number of years.  Getting out from the stress has been great.  I am still just as busy as I was, but the stress is gone.  I enjoyed watching that encounter of the bottled root beer and the classic 8 oz bottled coke ice box.  A step back to a simpler time.  It was a very small thing, yet it was a moment when a grandfather and the grandkids shared something from Grandpa’s time.  And the grandkids had just as much fun as Grandpa did when his dad, or grandfather popped open a bottled soda for him.  A connection to a simpler time in life.

So with all the stress, deadlines, gadgets, alarms, and hurry up in our lives, remember it is the little things that can make the biggest impact.  Take the time for the small moments.  It does help with the stress as well.

What little things help you cope with the stresses in your life?