“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
— Robert Brault
It was late summer of 1999, and I was just finishing my first clinical rotation in PT school.
I’d been lucky that the rotation was back home in Miami, which meant I got to spend the summer living with & caring for my mom (and giving my poor grandmother some relief).
She was in the thick of cancer treatment after her breast cancer had returned.
Chemo had weakened her immune system, so she was supposed to avoid crowds.
But there was one thing she still really loved: going to the movies.
That August, Eddie Murphy’s new film Bowfinger came out. My mom wanted to see it, so we picked a weekday matinee, when the theater would be nearly empty.
I’ll never forget one scene in particular.
Steve Martin’s character, Bobby Bowfinger, was trying to secretly film Eddie Murphy’s character, Kit Ramsey. To keep Kit from noticing, they used Bowfinger’s golden retriever *in heels* to “stalk” him through a parking garage. The absurdity of it had us both in tears, laughing so hard we couldn’t breathe. 😂🤣
In that moment, cancer didn’t matter.
Chemotherapy didn’t matter.
The possibility of losing her didn’t matter.
It was just us, mother and son, crying from laughter in a nearly empty movie theater.
We carried that lightness into the rest of the afternoon, book-hunting at Barnes & Noble together. 📚
Just another ordinary day.
And yet, it wasn’t ordinary at all.
It was a gift.
Why Normalcy Matters
Like a shark devouring its prey, caregiving and illness have a way of swallowing life whole.
It can feel like everything becomes about symptoms, appointments, side effects, and what’s next.
But moments of normalcy — whether it’s a movie, a meal, a joke, or a small errand — are medicine, too.
They remind us that life is still happening in between the crises.
They let us connect with our loved one as the person they are, not just the patient they’ve become.
They give us memories that outlast the illness — the ones that make us smile years later.
How to Find Small Moments of Normal
Pick lighter routines to preserve. Saturday pancakes. Evening TV shows. Afternoon walks. They matter more than you think.
Look for laughter. A funny show, a silly memory, or even a movie scene with a dog in heels can shift the entire day (and last a lifetime).
Step outside the medical world. A bookstore, a drive, a picnic…anything that isn’t defined by illness.
Let yourself enjoy it. Joy doesn’t dismiss the gravity of the situation. It honors the person you love.
Even in the hardest seasons, normalcy is a way of remembering: we are more than the illness.
And sometimes, the little things — a matinee movie, a burst of laughter, an ordinary bookstore — become the moments that matter most.
Weekly Resource(s)
📘 Book Pick: Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief by David Kessler
A powerful guide on discovering hope and meaning in the midst of illness and loss. It shows that joy and grief can live side by side — and that the small, normal moments often carry the deepest meaning.
📲 Caregiver Tool: StoryWorth — A storytelling app that helps capture and preserve family stories through weekly prompts. A simple way to create moments of connection now, and memories you’ll treasure forever.
📺 Watch: 👉🏾 Bowfinger— “Dog In Heels” 👠😂
That unforgettable Bowfinger scene — the one that had my mom and me laughing through tears. Proof that joy can break through even the heaviest days.
The truth is, you don’t have to wait until things “calm down” to live. And if we’re being honest with ourselves…the “calm down” never comes.
Life is right here, right now…
In laughter,
In bookstores…
In little ordinary moments that mean everything.
With you,
Bryce
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