“We should enjoy the little things in life.”
People use that phrase often, but from my perspective, it’s the “little things” that turn out to be the big things.
These are the memories one retains when one is quiet and has a little time to reflect. So what are the “little things” that one remembers? The reason that I am more in touch right now is that I am doing a Memoir. By having to look back, what are the events, moments that stand out for me?
It may be a trip Abe and I did to Russia where the Capitals played the Russians. But what I remember most is that we knew our room was bugged, so Abe and I turned on the shower so they couldn’t hear us talk about upcoming negotiations.
Or, yes, we traveled to China with the Bullets after the Championship in 1978, but what do I remember? Elvin Hayes refusing to walk on the Great Wall….Does this seem trivial?
To me it was about special fun…warm moments when we laughed and can still laugh as we remember. We remember these moments more than the actual games.
The surprise birthday present I gave Abe when the new “cell phone” just came out. I had arranged for the phone to be wrapped in a box with a big ribbon and put on the table where we were having dinner with my son, Jimmy. I had arranged for my other son, Robert, to call that number at a particular time; all Abe could hear was a phone ringing in a box! This was a great moment — not only for the sheer fun and delight and surprise — but it was also about my whole family being involved.
Abe and I always built-in special moments for us to enjoy. We both always wanted to create these once in a lifetime events no matter what else was going on in our lives. It’s not so much about slowing down as making sure that one does not forget to enjoy one’s life with family, friends, people you love and love to be with.
From the Heart 
Thank-you for sharing your personal stories. They made me smile, and encouraged me to start my own reflection on all of the good, little things that have happened in my own life.