When the root is deep there is no reason to fear the wind. When you know who you are, why you are here and get very clear about your vision, you deepen your roots. That is why the old saying that you become who you hang out with is inaccurate and reveals the state of mind/heart of the person saying it. When you have deep roots you are grounded into your core values and nothing that is going on around you that isn’t a match to your core values will uproot you. With that said and as an example, years ago I was in the prison ministry at a medium security prison for awhile and hanging with inmates didn’t sway me to steal, commit arson, etc. In fact, I saw the light of their soul as they struggled to cope. You see, until you can see that light in everyone, you are simply reciting rhetoric and holding yourself back from seeing a wider, higher picture of reality. Some people would call that playing small. I call it looking at life through a narrow lens by choice. And this is like holding yourself prisoner in a whole different way. Life doesn’t happen to us. It happens through us. -Susan Abrams Milligan, “BEing Spiritually Intelligent” ❤️