Those We Meet

Are we shaped by those we meet? My initial answer is no, we are not. I would like to think that we are who we are regardless of other people. The choices we make, the places we go, all those have affect on us. But when I stop and think about it, I realize that my choices are all influenced by people, whether I am defying them or following their advice. And the places I go wouldn't have had the same affect on me if I was alone and the place was empty. The people we meet have a huge effect on us, whether we realize it or not. And when we do realize it, it usually isn't until much later. I didn't realize how much of an effect my grandmother had on me until she died. And it is so often that way, that we don't realize how much people have changed our lives until they are gone and no longer can.