What you don't know can hurt you...

"Everybody is a genius. If you judge a fish by it's ability to climb a tree, it will live it's whole life believing that it's stupid." - Albert Einstein

That Einstein guy was a smart cookie, and I love that quote. I don't even know why I'm posting it except that yesterday reminded me that Zoey is everything that we invest in her. She's every bit the advice we give her, the lessons that we teach, and the people that we are...every day, no days off, no one time exceptions, no excuses. Our encouragement matters. Our criticism, both timely and untimely, matters. The beliefs and stereotypes that we perpetuate in front of her, matter.

I think I'm going to be a big fan of dropping quotes subtly in her lap...via prints on the wall in our house, or maybe...no, that's it. I think we'll have a constantly evolving, rotating, or growing collection of framed quotes in her room...you know, things to unintentionally ponder, to subliminally sink in. At least to leave her aware, you know, anything but foreign to their meaning. Things like this, and this, or this one. Without question I want to frame this and hang it where she can see it every day. It's something that I read a long time ago and that I always remembered.

Think about the smallest memories that have stuck with you your entire life...the words someone said, or the thing that you read. It doesn't always have to be a big deal kind of thing...the giant lesson learned. It can be a print on your wall that you read every time time you looked up from your homework. Don't underestimate the power of not knowing that something existed, that some phrase or advice or perspective was out there to steer and shape you. Until you've heard it, seen it, or read it, how can you know it? We don't know what we don't know, it's that simple. Blank canvas, it's what I tell myself every time I lose perspective...blank canvas, and us with all the paint.