Impact

Who you are matters...

Have you ever hung out with someone from another part of the country and found yourself using phrases that are not local to you within a relatively short time?

Growing up our family skipped back and forth across the Connecticut River living in both Vermont and New Hampshire.  The summer treat of choice was soft serve ice cream which we always called a "frostywhip."  When I moved to Northern Vermont,  where everyone calls them "creemees," I decided to stick to my roots and call them soft serves or frostywhips.  Guess what? I now, more often than not, call them "creemees."  My husband, who grew up in Central New Hampshire is still holding strong ordering his soft serve after our 6 years in the "far, far" north.

I share this somewhat silly story to illustrate something that I've been thinking about recently.   Just as we influence those we spend time with, we are influenced by the beliefs and actions of those around us. This is especially true of those whom we spend the most time.  Add the even bigger component of respect for the other person and the impact grows.  We value more heavily the actions and beliefs of those who we look up too.

As a parent I find this realization to be an enormous responsibility that carries with it the need to be present and attentive.  I have two young children who are watching my every move when I'm at my best and ... when I'm at my worst.   They see how I deal with stress. They see how I talk about people I don't agree with.  They see how I care for my body.  They see how I spend my time and money. They see what I value and they are learning. I could take the attitude that what I do right now doesn't really matter... because of course, they're not really making those tough life-impacting decisions right now, but that's not actually true.  Each moment I spend with them now will, in reality, impact them later in life when I can't be with them encouraging positive decisions.

If you have children, students, young neighbors or relatives, you are being watched.  And they are learning from you, what positive changes can you make today to help them learn to make healthy life choices?