A wonderful life

I hear often the phrases " I want a big life", "I want to live bigger", "Living big", and I wonder what a big life means. Is it being famous? Having lots of stuff? Knowing lots of people or doing lots of things around the world? Why is it even a phrase? How can a life be big or small? A seemingly "small" life can change the world for the better just like an apparently larger life.

Okay - I am being obtuse, asking rhetorical questions, but I have a point which was clarified for me when I watched the Christmas classic "It's a Wonderful Life". No life or place is small or big; our impact on the world is how we live, not where or how much of the world we see. To live like George Bailey is to live in a small town, yearning to travel, while your younger brother receives accolades for his big deeds. To live like George Bailey is to make a difference in the lives of others through integrity. Like George Bailey, we seldom know the impact we make on others. We don't realize that the smile we share with a child in a grocery line-up may lead to more politeness. We don't realize that simply saying hello to a lonely student or senior makes a difference. Helping someone shovel a car stuck in snow may help them get home in time to help someone else. It's trite and the stuff of movies but still a good approach to life. We don't know what is a big life or a small life. We don't know. It's a wonderful life.