"Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" 2021 Mount Carmel Grade School Commencement Closing Remarks

When I was your age, do you know what I feared the most? Zits. That’s what I feared. Zits. You see, I had really bad acne back then. (Come to think of it, I have really bad acne now.) Maybe that’s why all the girls rejected me.

Anyway, anytime I had a zit, I didn’t want to come to school—which was, like, every week. But, my mom never gave in. She always made me go to school. And on the way to school, she would tell me, “Son, you see a zit, but I see your wonderful smile. You see a zit, I see a brilliant, hard-working student. You see a zit, I see my boy whom, I love dearly.”

I know what you’re thinking, that that’s how all moms are: Even if you’re ugly as hell, they’ll call you handsome or beautiful or cute or adorable. But, all that aside, my mom taught something important. She taught me that so often we obsess over the small things, like zits, when we should focus on bigger and more important things, like the joy that a smile brings, or the reward that hard work brings, or the love that a mother brings.

And what a valuable lesson that is for all of us, especially for you, dear graduates. Right now, at the peak of adolescence, on the doorstep of high school, the smallest things can often consume you. Your friends didn’t like your Instagram post. Someone you’ve been crushing on doesn’t notice you. Or, like me, your acne just…won’t…stop.

But, in the grand scheme of life, these things really don’t matter. More than liking your social media posts, what matters are friends who will be there for you when you need them the most. More than a crush, what matters are family who love you more than any crush would. And, more than a zit, what matters is what comes from being kind to yourself and being kind to others for the beauty that lies within. Because, when we obsess over the small things, those small things can grow, unnecessarily, into big things.

It’s like zits. In obsessing over each zit, I would first cover it, then tinker with it, and then, finally, pop it, and that was gross!  That white-yellow pus would flow down my face, and then the sore would bleed for hours, causing me to cover my face with tissue or even my hand. It was a BAD habit that only made my acne worse. All I needed to do was take care of my skin and ignore the zits. But, no zit was ever too small for me to obsess over.

It makes me wonder, then, what small things do we all obsess over?

Don’t sweat the small stuff. Worry about the big things, the more important things, the things that matter. Because zits, they come and go. But, friends, family, and beauty from within, those last a lifetime.

So-and-so didn’t like your post, so you hate their posts, and, before you know you, you’ve launched an all-out cyberbullying war. That crush doesn’t notice you. So, first, you stalk that person, then you try to get that person’s attention, and, before you know it, you’re cat-fishing. Or, in my case, you go from noticing the zit to tinkering with it and then popping it.

The same goes for everyone, including us adults: What small thing has become your toxic obsession?

Like zits, when we obsess over the small things, not only do we overlook the big things that matter more, but we risk turning minor mishaps into devastating disasters. Like launching an all-out cyberbullying war, or pathetically stalking that crush, or, spreading an acne nightmare all over my face.

So, like my wife always says, don’t sweat the small stuff. Worry about the big things, the more important things, the things that matter. Because zits, they come and go. But, friends, family, and beauty from within, those last a lifetime.