Minutiae

Message from God about minutiae. Dictionary definition: “A small particular or detail; a minute or trivial matter of fact: A minute particular; a small or minor detail; -- used chiefly in the plural. A minor detail, often of negligible importance.”

A revelation about minutiae came about when I called a company about something and was placed on hold. Then I was transferred to a different department, on hold again. Nope, wrong department, transferred again. This time the person I spoke to said I didn’t need to do it this way, I should do it this way. They’d refund my money and transfer me to appropriate department. Oh, that’s what I wanted? Wrong department, transferred again.

This whole interaction took over three hours. And, of course, I was fuming the whole time. My tolerance for the whole process diminished with each wrong department I was transferred to. It ended well, eventually my problem was resolved but the ineptitude and apparent loss of control the company has over its customer service communication was difficult to just “get over.”

A little later I had to drive to the other side of town. Of course, I’m dealing with drivers who learned to drive by playing Grand Theft Auto. Infuriating. One exceptionally poor driver pulled in front of me, almost clipping my front end while I was replaying the maddening conversations I’d had earlier on the phone. And that’s when the word “Minutiae” dropped into my mind like butterfly settling on a flower.

“It’s all minutiae. Why are you tying yourself in knots over this? Is this really worth thinking about, getting upset about?” No, it’s not. Not in the context of the universe. Minutiae doesn’t even register. It’s a distraction. That’s its purpose, to keep us occupied while important things happen or need our attention. It’s the “strain out a gnat and swallow a camel” principle. Watch out for minutiae. You’ll be so consumed with it that you end up choking on the things that can kill you.