The Track

Shared by my friend Leona Laperriere on Twitter: Native American Proverb … “We will be known forever by the tracks we leave.”

We all leave tracks, don’t we? Childhood memories are tracks. Achievements large and small are tracks. Good deeds are tracks, as are bad ones. Resumes too.

Some tracks have short lifespans … a fleeting moment can even be a track. But even the smallest action can have long tails of repercussion, good or bad. The harsh word, the silent treatment, the cruel joke or the ignoring of a family member or friend … every one a track. And never assume that a track will be forgotten; it carries on as a living memory for you and others..

I know people, young and old alike, who harbor resentment towards their parents, based on their actions. The mother that treated her children differently, the father who expected too much and did not love enough. Parents form the first tracks that children see, and those tracks inform their futures. Parents who model positive behavior build powerful tracks for their children, an awesome responsibility.

There are tracks we see and question, there are others we see and emulate. And there are tracks that take us far and wide, in unexpected ways. Career changes, new cities and countries, new activities and interests, new faith and commitments. Decisions that will shape our future are beginnings of new tracks in and of themselves … the selection of a college, job changes, marriage, a choice of a church. Too many to count and constantly in our path.

Each one of us builds our track day by day, each unique and different. Every action has real and unavoidable impact on our track, on the way we will be known by our peers, our families, our friends and even strangers. And that knowing is forever, part of our past, present and future. What do I want my track to look like, now and at the end? What about you?