Golden Rule #9: Think Small.

I read a book a while ago entitled, “The Power of Small.” Little book with a really big message. “Small, seemingly insignificant acts are powerful agents of change and growth—if we pay attention to them,” write co-authors Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval. “Unfortunately, we live in a world where we are constantly told to concentrate on the big things, to not sweat the small stuff.  Because of that, we often feel that incremental change doesn’t count for much—it doesn’t pay off.  We celebrate milestones, and ignore the daily victories that herald persistent substantial change over time.  As Canadian explorer Jaime Clarke, who reached the summit of Mount Everest step by careful step, puts it: ‘There’s not only power in small, but magic too.'”

Copper is a big dog. A really big dog, in fact, weighing over 100 pounds. Not much is small about him. But I love how he notices the smallest details. A flicker of an eyelash in the morning and he is up, tail waving gently, ready to start the day. He senses stress or tension in someone’s voice or demeanor and instantly he is leaning against them, yawning, doing his best to calm the atmosphere. Nothing escapes his focus.