"There is very little difference between one person and another, but what little there is, is very important."

Sometimes it becomes so blatantly obvious just how different we all are. And, as William James points out, those differences are of the utmost importance.

For instance. Everyone has their weird, quirky little habits. Idiosyncrasies that are borderline obsessive-compulsive, in some cases. Like how I can't stand it when the volume on the tv or stereo isn't set on an even number.

Some things, like my weird volume fetish, are less distinctive than others. I think that I would look at my friends differently, less respectfully, if they didn't have some of the habits that they have.

I like the way Sandra salts her food. My dad eats half a peanut butter sandwich every day when he gets home from work, and has done so for as long as I can remember. Bridget says "Whaddayacallit" when she's thinking. Phil uses his knuckles to adjust the volume of the cd player in his truck. (I know this because of my aforementioned volume obsession.) Jen never takes the first product from the shelf in the store.

Just little things like that. If Bridget said "Um" instead of "Whaddayacallit" or if Phil used his fingertips to adjust the volume, they wouldn't be who they are.

It makes me wonder about the habits of my not-so-close friends, the ones I don't see every day and whose behavior I can't pinpoint. And if the habits of my high school friends have changed since we've grown apart. And how many other habits are contingent upon the out-of-the-ordinary ones I love so much.