"The Really Great Make You Feel That You, Too, Can Become Great"

You may not want to believe it, but almost every single day of your life you're going to encounter someone that (even if only for a few moments) looks up to you. Obviously there are many different shades and depths to it, but do you honestly understand that you're a role model more often than not in our society?

Think about it. In many countries, we dedicate entire television shows, websites, magazines, and just about every other form of informative media to celebrity gossip. We know when so and so breaks up, gets back together, or finally starts their happy, little family. We know when Britney shaves her hair off and when Beiber simply cuts his. We know when somebody makes a foolish slip of tongue or volunteers their time and status to benefit those in need.

Why do we care? I'm not really sure. My guess is simply what this blog is about. We always want to have somebody to look up to. Perhaps want is even the wrong word. I believe that we can't even help it in most cases. Maybe we're looking to laugh at someone's faults, or jealously compare our lives and beliefs to another's. Sometimes you just find the lifestyles of others to be simply fascinating. Celebrity or not.

Think about your siblings and extended family for a moment. Think about the years you spent growing up with and around your older and younger siblings. Think about your best friends big brother or sister that you both wanted to be just like when you finally reached their age. We grew up knowing that nobody was cooler or greater than those people. Was it irrational? Maybe. So what. During these moments in your life, especially your youth and adolescence, these are the exact people we needed around.

Time to turn the tables, reader. Weren't you the big brother or sister at some point? Weren't you the older cousin or friend's hero a few times? We all were. Some take it for granted while others recognize this role and play on it just the way that we're supposed to. You could be the head of a church or other volunteer group. You can coach a youth sports team or Cubscouts/Girlscouts-type-of-thing. You could be a badguy too. There's no rules set for who you're going to be. Especially in someone else's eyes.

Finally, I guess the point of all this is to say that the next time you're out doing things that you may regret in retrospect, please be considerate of the impressionable youth that may be there taking it all in. Like I said in the beginning, you may not think so, but people look up to you. Often. Being a better person is not only beneficial to yourself and life, but just as much so for the casual to ceaseless observers that take part in them too.

On this blog's "side note" I have some particularly exciting news (at least to me);
I will soon be writing a weekly blog for a local news website for the Algonquin area. Specifically about things to do and places to go in McHenry County when you're looking to embrace the outdoors this summer (cookout spots, parks, conservation districts, scenic drives, etc). I'm still in discussions with the woman that runs it, but I'll obviously keep everyone updated as it evolves. Thanks for reading!