I picked one of my cats up for a cuddle today. He usually runs and hides if he thinks there is a pat coming – unless he chooses the time and place - so it was quite a treat to be able to spend some up-close time with him.
I gave him a pat and he snuggled into my jersey quite content to be there. I nuzzled my face onto the top of his head for a big smooch and nearly dropped the poor animal on the deck. He smelt very strongly of lavender! He was infused with the scent of the fragrant bush and now, so was my jersey.
Obviously he had been in the garden, thoroughly rubbing himself up against my newly planted lavender bushes. The smell was on his fur and there was no hiding where he had been. It had left its mark well and truly on him to the extent that the aroma had become part of him.
It made me think. The people we spend our time with, the conversations we have, the activities we participate in, the books we read, the programmes we watch, the places we go, the thoughts we think – they all leave their mark on us. They all have a lasting effect which can be quite marked.
Who are you associating with? Do they build you up or tear you down? Are your conversations full of doom and gloom, or encouragement and support? How do you spend your time? Are you filling your mind with negatives or positives? What ongoing influence are all these things having on you?
When others come in touch with us, what residue are we leaving behind in their lives? Are we a pleasant perfume that lifts them up or are we leaving behind something less appealing?
