I have a knack for growing things. It’s true! I grow mold in my desk at work, ( why did I put that container of vegetables in my drawer, anyway?), I breed colonies of fruit flies, ( who knew they would multiply so quickly when you leave rotten bananas out?) and I generate piles of crumbs wherever I’m sitting ( I honestly don’t know how this happens, I think the crumbs are just attracted to me). Anyone who knows me knows that I have a knack for making a mess and creating chaos wherever I go. My friends often joke that that when I leave a room, I leave evidence behind me that I was once there.
How I alter my environment leads me to beg a very important question, along with bio-hazards and insect colonies, what else am I cultivating?
You see, whether we realize it or not we are nurturing something.
Some people foster literal and figurative farts; they parade in with their negativity, complaints and all around poopiness. These people grow smells and frowns wherever they go.
Some people generate apathy; their lethargy creates an environment of uninspired indifference that makes people want to fall asleep.
Some people construct creepiness where you feel so unsettled around them that you want to crawl out of your skin.
Some people breed positive goodness, they encourage you and make the world a sunnier place. These people cultivate smiles and motivation.
While I realize that I foster a lot of frustration for others ( especially for all you “neat-freaks” out there), I also endeavor to create an environment of cheer and sincerity. Yes, the spilled coffee and food remnants are dead giveaways that I was once in a room, but I hope to grow inspiration and optimism as well.
So dear friend, are you growing something that leads people to be happy to see you enter a room, or are they happier when you leave? We don’t enter a space or engage with others without producing something. What will you choose to grow?