“I knew it wasn’t too important, but it made me sad anyway.”

-JD Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

A friend assured me that we’d catch up last Thursday, but the phone call never came. I knew it wasn’t too important, but it made me sad anyway.

The only Stuffy in her collection of about 30 that didn’t make the cut for my daughter’s bedtime display was a penguin I had bought for her the first time she got really sick. I knew it wasn’t too important, but it made me sad anyway.

I was excited to share the results of a new lipid study with some acquaintances, but they failed to share my enthusiasm and pretty much ignored me. I knew it wasn’t too important, but it made me sad anyway.

My daughter misunderstood something I said and frustratedly ran to her room, slamming the door behind her. I knew it wasn’t too important, but it made me sad anyway.

I brought some baseball gloves in hopes of playing catch with some kids on a beautiful day, but they just sat and played on their phones instead. I knew it wasn’t too important, but it made me sad anyway.

Something was really important to me. And no one else thought it was very important at all. And it made me sad anyway.