I was cross-country skiing when I happened to notice some seeds that had attached themselves to my clothing. I must have brushed against large weeds, and the burrs hitched a ride with me. I whisked them off, and they quickly established themselves in a new setting, probably to grow in the spring.

             It amazes me how seeds find such ways to move themselves to new terrain. I wonder what they did before skiers came through the area. 

            Seeds are not the only things that cling to passers-by. Attitudes often do the same thing. For example, after having listened to someone else complain about the boss at work, the local weather, the lack of control over crime in the streets, or the behavior of some group, it is easy to start sharing the same attitude. The bias of the speaker, like the seed, jumps to the listener and hangs on for a ride.

            Fortunately, positive attitudes can spread as well. Whenever we truly believe in someone and his/her ability, that message gets conveyed. If we see something positive about winter weather, a friendship, or an activity in which we are involved, that understanding also can be passed on.

“He said in reply, ‘He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,

the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom.’”

Matthew 13:37-38