We’re all farmers. We all plant seeds of one kind or another, and people are influenced whether consciously recognizing it or not. Sometimes the influence is substantial, sometimes less so. But consciously or subconsciously, our outlook on life and the attitudes and values by which we live are a product of the seeds planted by others in our fields of dreams.
What we say, how we act, the attitudes we embody affect those with whom we cross paths in life. With regard to those most impressionable, children, the famous poem, Children Learn What They Live by Dorothy Law Nolte includes the lines: If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn / If children live with hostility, they learn to fight / If children live with acceptance, they learn to love / If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.
Whether the fields in which we plant are younger or older, a good morning question is: “What kind of seeds do I want to plant today?” We can choose to be judgmental or accepting, ornery or pleasant, affirming or condemning, dishonest or honest. One way or the other, we’ll be sowing seeds.
We may or may not see the results of our plantings, but the importance is what we’re broadcasting. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote: “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” So I ask again today: what kind of seeds do I want to plant?
