“You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with."

As I go through my Google Reader account, I always find something that makes me think about life and my purpose.  I don't always have time to reflect upon and to write about my findings, but starring gems of interest allows me to revisit intriguing items when hopefully I have more time to think.  The quote that is the title of this post falls into this category.


I found this quote from motivational speaker Jim Rohn on my feed from LifeHacker. Adam Dachis, the author of the post, invited readers to think about whether we really are the average of those we spend the most time with.  Certainly, I agree that the company you keep can either lift you up or drag you down.  We always want our children to hang out with children who consistently make good choices rather than with those who are constantly in trouble.  Guilt by association is a heavy burden we have all been threatened with.


So, who are the five that compose my average?  At school, I probably associate most with Rob McIe, our physical education teacher, Davene Burks, our principal, and Keith Wolfe, our behavioral disorder teacher.  I can't say I really seek out other people or that other people seek me (we are all too busy!) although I certainly interact and have a cordial relationship with all our faculty.  Since I think these three are wonderful, caring people, I have no problem considering myself the average of these three.


In my personal life, I find myself surrounded most by my husband, my daughter Lora and my dog, Roxy.  Life is certainly interesting and raucous around them.  Am I the average of them? I'm not sure about that!  I think I am more the average of my three cats!


Mathematically, I have to reject this theory:  If we all are the average of five people, how can we contribute to our own individual traits to this equation?  Individually, we have a lot to offer, both at home and at work.  It sure does help if our contributions bring a little more light to those around us!