People I was at primary school with 40 years ago are now my friends on Facebook. After decades of not knowing what had happened to them or where they were, social media drew us into a humongous online forum where we could reconnect. Who knew that one day connectivity with others would be as easy as it is today, even though there may be 1000s of miles between friends?
Truth be told, people from your past are always going to be in your life, even if only within your memories. Generally, they will bring back good memories or bad or indifferent, but they will be there.
How you behave today impacts the future. Be nice to everyone around you because they could quite easily be part of your future. You want them to be able to say and think nice things about you.
I live in a pretty small community. Not everyone knows everyone, but my valley is not big and when a scandal hits town, word can spread to the most unlikely places. Make sure the scandal does not involve you! And, if someone comes gossiping to you, don’t believe everything you hear.
I once had a friend tell me something negative about their new neighbours. “Oh really?” I said. Then one day as I drove past my friend’s home and glanced at the new neighbour’s home, I saw someone I knew! AND I knew that that person was NOT as my friend has said. Sometime later, when I saw her, I asked her about it. She gasped, horrified: “I found out it wasn’t true. I’m so sorry!”
These kind of lessons are only learned with experience. I applaud those who have been ‘in the news’ in years gone by and have continued to live here. Time has passed and they have got on with their lives, yet surreptitiously minds have thought or behind cupped hands, people have whispered, ‘that’s the person who…..’
Even on a greater stage a stigma remains. I think of Hansie Cronje and Bill Clinton. Bad choices impact the future.
Honesty and integrity are character traits that need to be proven over time. Once trust and truth is shattered, it’s difficult for it to be entirely repaired.
You have got to start building it all over again.
So today as I reflected on the people of my past, I was again reminded to keep an open book with those who cross my path. Let simple characteristics be mine. Be kind, be considerate, be polite, be generous, be gentle. Love. It takes as much energy to be these things than the converse. Life’s too short to be anything else.
John 13:34-35
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Keep the smile going. It’s worth it.
God bless you!
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂