The other 20%

So today is my mom’s birthday, so I have to start off by saying happy birthday to her. My mom has been supportive of my cycling from day one. My parents always take the time to come to close races (and some not-so-close) to support me and cheer me on. My other parents, Tim and Carol, are just as supportive and helpful. When I say other parents, I mean my in-laws. I don’t really look at them that way, though, as they treat me like I am one of their own. I guess this all goes to my point, which I’m getting to sooner or later.

Support from friends, family, ect. is what brought me to the place I’m at today in my life. My parents (all four), along with all my grandparents are Christians, and that has been the biggest influence. I’m definitely not always a shining light, but I do try to catch myself when I feel I’m about to do something that isn’t a good projection of what a god-fearing man would do. I think this has recently come more to light with my son being around. Aaron is getting a little older, and is slowly going into the copy-cat stage. We can stick out our tongue, and he’ll do it too. You slap the table, and he does it too. You know, just simple things like that. My wife tells me I act like my dad all the time, which isn’t a bad thing until I bring out my stubbornness, which my dad knows he has. Makes me think that I need to be very cautious about how I act around Aaron, so that he’ll grow up knowing about God and actually having a conscience.

Here’s the point. Family makes you who you are in my opinion. You can tell how someone’s family is usually by how they act. This isn’t always the case, but it definitely is I would say in 80% of people. I also believe that if you have been brought up in a rough environment, you can still be a good person. There’s that 20% of other people. It all boils down to who YOU want to be. I say I’m of the 80%, but that’s a good thing. Are you the other 20?