All the small things..
The chance encounter
The question you hesitated to ask, but finally did
The offhand mention of an interest
The tiny bounce of a ping pong ball
This entry is about those tiny little things that happen that make a huge difference in many peoples' lives. (and yes, it's a bit inspired by the Blink 182 song)
As we weave our way through our lives, we ask ourselves hundreds of times a day, thousands of times a week, "does this really matter?" For the most part, this questioning doesn't even occur consciously. We sift through the minutiae of our lives on an automatic basis. Yesterday's post was about failure and one of my examples was that of being a young child reading. It turns out that after you learn how to read and deal with mistakes, you tend to filter out words that seem alike, you process them quickly and assign them meanings automatically. This is the efficiency of the brain, the filtering mechanisms of every day life. It's helpful, but not always accurate.
May 22nd, 2007 happened to be the day that might have changed basketball in Seattle for the foreseeable future. Why? Because of the small things of course.
That was the evening that the NBA draft lottery was held. Despite the odds, the Seattle Sonics got the 2nd pick in the 2007 draft. A bunch of bouncing ping pong balls determined that the Sonics would have the chance to draft a potential superstar.
Tonight, June 28th, was the draft. The Seattle Sonics got, arguably, the best pick in the draft: Kevin Durant. This is notable for two reasons: 1) He happens to be one of the most explosive, high potential, franchise-changing basketball players that I've ever had the fortune to watch before hitting the NBA 2) The Sonics franchise, until today, was mostly in shambles. Losing season after losing season, a subpar arena, a disgruntled management group and an apathetic city fan base have led most in the basketball world to believe that the Sonics won't be in Seattle for much longer.
The bounce of a ping pong ball might have changed that.
The fact that the Sonics got to take Kevin Durant today might have meant that Seattle, 
through public funding and fan interest (buying tix, lobbying the management group etc) will keep basketball in the city. As a loyal Sonics fan, this makes me exceptionally pleased. As an anonymous taxpayer, I wonder if this is the best use of resources but...
The point is: the small things matter. Not always, but sometimes.. sometimes, the smallest little detail has a humongous impact. Don't forget that when you're trying to decide to act/stay passive.
Today/tonight might just have been the perfect proof of that. Only time will tell.
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