We leave things behind. We leave something where ever we go. We leave a little part of ourselves with every person with which we interact. Like souvenirs.

That little thing – the smile, the encouraging word, the compliment, the observation, the point, the snarky comment, the criticism, those last words – we leave behind. We drop it into their eyes, into their ears, into their hearts. We turn and walk away. We hang up the phone. We drive off in our car. The elevator door closes. We turn our faces away toward a new focus.

We leave a souvenir.

Will they take our souvenir and store it in the recesses of their mind soon to be forgotten, or will they keep it in their brains on a front-and-center shelf easily accessbile and quick to be recalled and replayed in an instant?

Will they store it in their heart as a memento, a precious keepsake, a trinket fondly remembered? Will it otherwise be an unwelcome squatter, difficult to live with, a constant source of aggrevation, and impossible to remove?

Will our little souvenir be a treasured addition for a long time, or will it become a lasting stain?

We collect souvenirs, too. The souvenirs we accummulate can affect our emotions, cloud our thoughts, and even drive our behavior patterns. Our brains, our hearts, our eyes…they must be stacked tight to some proverbial ceiling like a giant, infinite even, Amazon sort facility. Stuff coming in, stuff going out almost constantly.

I’m not mad at this whole “souvenir” concept. As a matter of fact, when I recently ran across the idea that we should CREATE SOUVENIRS, I haven’t stopped thinking about it. Yes! We should be creating good, shiny things to leave behind…but are we? Are all the souvenirs we are creating really good and shiny?

Not so much…but they could be!

You must BE AWARE that you have the ability to create meaningful, lasting mementos for others. Without much intention, you’re making impressions, influencing decisions, affecting relationships, stirring emotions, and impacting lives. The moment you open your eyes in the morning, your souvenir creation begins. You have to stop and think about what your souvenirs look like. What will you leave people with? What if we were aware enough to be INTENTIONAL about creating souvenirs?

Today, I boxed up some of the most beautiful, kind, gracious souvenirs you have ever seen – like real, tangible souvenirs – from my studio office. In 12 years of dance studio ownership, I have amassed a collection of letters and cards, drawings and crafts, paintings, framed art, bracelets, so many things I was gifted over the years as a token of the sweet giver’s gratitude, love, admiration. And it’s cool to think that all those things were gifted because that same sweet giver appreciated some souvenir they had picked up from me. I had motivated them, helped, encouraged, praised them, offered them some catalyst for personal growth, even somehow affected the course of their young life.

I like to think that leaving souvenirs behind, good ones, are what life is all about. That’s our purpose. We can live RE-actively, bouncing through life and focusing on what’s happening TO us, or we can live PRO-actively, making a concerted effort to look closely at our own behaviors, our attitudes, our intentions to ensure we leave behind the best parts of ourselves as souvenirs.

As corny as it may sound, just think of how we could [go ahead and roll your eyes, if you like] change the world if we ALL thought this way. Cornball or not, it’s true. How different could your workplace be? How different could your ball team be? How different could your church group be? How different could your relationship with your own husband or wife be if you made it your goal to leave good souvenirs behind every day?

I would hate so badly to think I missed a chance to hand out goodness [YOU get some goodness! And YOU get some goodness!] or, worse, I fumbled the chance I was given and left behind a trail of garbage. I would hate that instead of leaving behind love, trust, laughter, inspiration, security, I left behind anger, resentment, fear, bitterness.

We get ONE life. People cross our paths only briefly. The Universe puts us in situations, in jobs, in crowds, in relationships, then pulls us out again. We are given opportunities to leave life’s souvenirs constantly, and we should take full advantage of them. Create souvenirs, Y’all. Good ones.

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