When I was young, maybe four or five, I struggled to fall asleep in the afternoon. I was a hyper kid, and I benefited from naps, but to the chagrin of my endlessly patient parents, I would run about like a wildling if given the opportunity. I've heard people recommend drinking warm milk or counting sheep to fall asleep, but my father told me that if I tried to remember every single thing I'd seen done that day, in order, I would be asleep by the time I reached the present.

He was right, as always. The little trick had a lovely side-effect, too. My memories of the day mixed with my dreams, like food coloring spun into cake batter. The routine moment of my childhood felt so magical in those moments before I fell asleep that I can still remember certain recurring sounds and images: the sparkling glint of our pool cover, the mechanical lurch of the garbage trucks passing our house, the electric purr of my parents TV, which their parents had handed-down to them. The normal became ecstatic.

Little Things, a lovely animated short from creative agency Hugo and Marie's artistry division, Mister and Missus, reminded me of that time as a kid, where the real and dream worlds don't feel quite so disconnected. Since we can't just take naps at our desk, the video serves as a fine substitute.