Don't Sweat The Small Stuff.

So I have decided to make a habit of ranting. And at the request of my little Wilderness Trek sister, who's WT nickname has escaped memory, I am going to rant about sweating the small stuff. For lack of a better nickname lets just call her hot-blogging-Cali-mom. First a quick detour: Why is EAT, MEAT and HEAT all pronounced that way but SWEAT is different. The word sweet should be spelled SWEAT in my opinion. I really don't like English.
And.... we're back. Ok, so why is it that small tasks can seem so important that we lose sight of the big picture? Is it a matter of pride that we must complete a task at the risk of sacrificing the progress to our larger goal? Example, hot-blogging-Cali-mom says she spent time she didn't have, looking for a lost shoe she didn't need, to go to her sons baseball game. End result, son was late to the game. Would the other moms make fun of her (and not allow her to join in their reindeer games) if her daughters shoes were not perfect? I doubt this is the case.
In my infinite wisdom here is how I envision the situation. Ultimate goal was to reach the baseball game. Things are going well, preparing the children, getting them dressed, bam! Daughter can't find her pretty white shoe. In the anxiety of the rush to the game and in the heat of the moment the lost shoe becomes a major issue. And Major issues must be dealt with, right? How long could it really take to find a shoe? As the time passes how many more hiding places can there be, the shoes is bound to be found any moment. Tempers rise, children cry, hot-blogging-Cali-mom swears, and the shoe remains elusive.
The problem in the moment always appears more prevalent, because it is there in the moment. Make sense? So it is easier to focus on that issue. Is that bad? I don't think so. But if the problem at hand becomes so consuming that it prohibits a successful end to the primary goal, then it's obviously not worth the effort.
I once heard a talk about this issue. I wont be adding the reference in a citation page 'cause I just can't remember who, when, why, how, or what it was. But the Readers Digest version; If you hold a small stone in front of your eye it becomes the only thing you can see. When you toss the stone back to the ground where it belongs, you can now see how insignificant it really is in relation to its surroundings.
This is not to say that all issues need to be ignored. Of course we need to address the problem, but it first needs to be taken in context. When problems are viewed in the correct aspect ratio they are often much easier to resolve.
So, hot-blogging-Cali-mom, or any of the other 4 people that will read this, I can't tell you how to overcome the habit of "sweating the small stuff". Or better stated, I can't tell you anything you don't already know about how to overcome this problem. The answer is the same as it has always been. Take a deep breath, count to 10, mentally step back from the situation, and look at it from a birds eye view. Easier said than done.
Anyone out there that knows how to be perfect at letting the small stuff slide 100% of the time, good for you! Now go make an infomercial and sell your secrets for millions of dollars. For the rest of us, just take it one day at a time. If you can remember to step back and breath just once, then that is one less time you freak out. And that is a great start.