What is your effect?

"When someone at peace and free from hurry enters a room,
that person has a calming effect on everyone present."  -Eknath
Easwaran

Isn’t that profound? I did not realize the effect my mood had on my household until I paid attention to it one day. It is true that our kids feed off of how we feel. We have a responsibility to give them a sense of hope and peace. It is not always easy to do that. You don’t want to shelter your kids from experiences, but you also don’t want them to always see you stressed out and on the brink of a nervous breakdown.

I have been in environments where someone’s bad mood or nervous energy stresses everyone they come into contact with. People tiptoe around them and don’t want anything to do with them because they are so damn negative. You slowly start to feel their negativity affecting you. Almost eating you alive.

I am here to tell you that you have a choice about letting someone else’s negativity affect you. As I have gotten older, I surround myself with positive people. People who have something to say that does not bring me or anyone else down. I surround myself with people who believe things can get better. They give me hope and a sense of peace. A negative person has no power over me or in my life. I know Whose I am. That alone gives me a sense of peace and calm. He makes it possible for me to get through this situation I am going through. He makes it possible for me to believe everything will be alright. Knowing this just fills me up inside with love and hope. It makes me really happy. You can only feel this if you open yourself up to it. You know, let go and Let God. It is as simple as that.