Too Small to Make an Impact?

I have news for you, small can have an impact. 

I discovered this when I mistakenly took my 13 year old daughter’s white jeans to change into after my workout at the gym

How did I do this? It all started out when I found my own white jeans in my daughter’s wardrobe and somehow I picked up her jeans rather than mine.  I always had my eye on my daughter’s  jeans because they had two beautifully coloured rainbow designs on the back pocket and were flared at the bottom. I wished I could fit into them but when I secretly tried them on six months previously, I couldn’t get them past my hips, let alone around my waist! 

The sheer panic that hit me when I saw the colourful pockets in the gym changing room was like being caught in public with no clothes on. What was I going to do without something as vital as trousers? 

I had no time to return home because I was going straight out for dinner with my family and the thought of wearing my sweaty, smelly toxic gym shorts was a bit too much.  No amount of stretching was going to convert my little red top into a dress. I had to get the jeans to fit. I took such a deep breath to hold my stomach in I nearly passed out. I couldn’t grunt or strain because I didn’t want the woman who stood next to me to know what I had done. I became hopeful when I heaved up the jeans beyond my hips but the popper refused to pop and my bulging stomach exploded over the top of the jeans like a waterfall and kept on undoing the zip. I had no alternative but to swallow my pride and ask the woman to help me pop the button.

Although, initially a little taken aback by my unusual request the woman gave a huge tug at the trousers and popped the button. I thanked the helpful woman profusely and hoping that she would be a holidaymaker, so I wouldn’t have to see her again, I asked, “how long have you been in Bali?” She replied, “14 years.” With not much hope of keeping this one quiet, I decided to look on the bright side. After six months of taking small steps at the gym, I could finally wear my daughter’s jeans, even if it was a bit of a squeeze!

I strutted out of the changing rooms looking like John Travolta from Saturday Night Fever. My too long jeans made a whooshing noise as they swept the floor. 

As I strode past the Club café, one of the Balinese waiters grinned his brilliant white teeth at me, promptly followed by a ‘hi-5’. Surprised by this action, I wasn’t sure whether the ‘hi-5’ was because he heard my distress or the impact of my jeans. I chose the latter interpretation.

As Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shop said, "If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito." 

We can so easily use ‘small’ as an excuse to not do things, whether we use it as a reason to say why bother, we feel we’re not making enough progress or we’re not significant enough to make an impact. Think again and realise that small is never too small.

Enjoy making an impact!

Janet