The Smartest Thing I Do is Steal

As I get older, I realize that I have sayings.  Small things that I believe and I use to guide my life.  I don't really know where I got them.  They're just little pieces of wisdom that are probably a conglomeration of a bunch of things that a bunch of different adults said to me at some point in my childhood.

If you work hard enough, you can do anything.

Dress for the job you want.

When in doubt, smile.

People should never kiss on national television.  (I actually remember where this one came from.  My grandpa did NOT approve of Saved by the Bell.  I've absorbed it into my life to mean don't go on reality TV.)

But the one I've been thinking about a lot lately is this:

Choose your friends wisely.  You will eventually be like them, even if you don't want to be.

I got this advice over and over in a million different ways growing up.  And sometimes I listened to it.  But a lot of times I didn't.  Because I wanted to sneak peach schnapps in my friend's basement and make out with that boy my parents never met.  

And you know what, it was fine.  Because the truth is, my friends just didn't matter that much.  I don't mean they didn't matter as people and I certainly don't mean that stupid decisions inspired by them couldn't have derailed my life.  But, I do mean that there was a whole host of influence when I was young.  My friends were one of them, but so were my parents, and my siblings, my teachers, coaches, leaders, church, town.  The list could go on.

That piece of advice has stuck with me though.  And it just gets more and more true.

I have incredible friends.  As in, I'm ridiculously lucky to be surrounded by the people I'm surrounded by.  They are faithful, loving, and true.  They are strong and inspiring.  They are my tribe.

And now more than ever, I'm starting to look like them.  

It's so weird.  Because now more than ever, I'm not trying to be anyone else.  

But, at some point along the way, I got smart.  I realized that I had some choices about my life.  I realized that I could decide whether I was going to be lonely, I could decide whether or not I wanted to keep growing, and I could decide who I wanted to be.  

I formed a tribe.  I invited people into my life.  I have found that it is much harder to be lonely when you've invited people in.

I made sure that the people I invited were seekers.  You can't stay stagnant when your people are asking questions.  We grow.

And I invited people that I wanted to steal from.  Because yes, I get to decide who I want to be.  But I make those decisions by looking at the people around me and straight up stealing their good things.  I watch, and I take.  Debbie's faith, Miriam's warmth, Emily's joy, Christen's compassion, Abigail's strength.  I make them a part of me.   

I have a tribe.  The smartest thing I ever did was fill it with people I want to look just like.  

Thankful for them today.

Song of the Day: Like Real People Do by Hozier