There ain’t but one thing wrong with every one of us, and that’s selfishness.
-Will Rogers
It was almost picture-perfect. There in the stack of vacation photographs was one of us together. Amazingly, we both liked it. Our eyes were open. We both were smiling. We looked natural. Even thinner. This definitely was a framer. One for the wall. But then we noticed the people in the background. Call it a negative impression, but they ruined the picture. One was shoveling a forkful of food into what looked like an already full mouth. Another had a contorted look on his face as though he’d been frozen in mid-sneeze. The images were less than flattering. We tossed the photo back into the pile. So much for framing.
Yet the experience did give me second thoughts about the countless impressions we all leave in the background of our lives when we aren’t center stage and when, perhaps, we think it doesn’t really matter. Failing to thank the waitress who brings coffee.
Failing to return the receptionist’s smile as we wait for an appointment.
Cutting off another motorist in traffic or getting all steamed because someone cut us off. Sometimes you and I can ruin an otherwise perfectly good picture.
You never know what kind of background you’re providing. And, even worse, you never know who’s got it on film.