LIFE BEHIND THE BADGE: The Little Things

It’s the little things that matter.  Life is full of big things, good and bad.  But when you concentrate on the little things, the big things looming in our lives seem to get smaller.

My husband has been working a lot lately due to being short handed but he goes in with a wonderfully open attitude.  He might be tired.  He might be grumpy.  He might be burnt out but he does his job with the right attitude because he knows that it is the little things that count.

This summer has been filled with little things.  Recently, I dusted off my gloves and decided I was going to mow my husband’s lawn.  Now mind you, our lawn is HIS lawn.  He likes it done a certain way and there is no other way around it but you know, I think I will be okay.  He won’t mind, once his uniform is hung up in the closet, his gun is put away and his aching feet are out of his boots.  This is one less chore that he has to do at the end of his 14 hour day.  I know that I won’t be needed to mow the lawn all the time after he sees how crooked my lines are and how there are still some long pieces of grass here and there but it was the little thought that counted.

He calls me a lot during the day.  Yes there are times when I just roll my eyes and think, really, again?  But most of the time, it is the voice on the other end that just makes my day.  His little reminders that he is looking forward to our time at home.  He fills me in on all the little things that happen in his day and I know that that little bit of effort means the world to our marriage.

Little gifts spread throughout your life together.  Little gestures and smiles go a long way in a partnership.  Yes, our husbands do have one mighty big job.  Yes, the weight of the world is constantly on their shoulders.  Yes, society’s conscience is our men and women in uniform and it isn’t always taken graciously.  When you consider doing little things for each other, you are enriching their lives in ways that will cancel out a lot of the big, negative things following them around.

I might not mow the lawn for my husband in the near future again, but I know that there are plenty of little things I can do for him to make his day better.

Remember, in conjunction with The Whole Truth Project, on September 15th, we as a nation will be celebrating and saying thank you to our police officers.  Pay for an officer’s cup of coffee that morning.  Give an officer a card made specially by your child.  Give them a coupon for a sandwich at that local sub shop you have been meaning to use but haven’t.  Wave to them (making sure they know you don’t need their help at that moment)!  Tell them how much they are appreciated by doing little things.

It doesn’t matter how little your gift of appreciation is that day.  It will be appreciated by some well deserving men and women.

Kristen Wallitner has been in love and married to her LEO husband for 16 years and they have 2 children, ages 8 and 5.  They do a lot of hiking and outdoor things as a family.  Kristen is also very interested in running, gardening, writing, and cooking, studying her Bible, and spending time with family.