“Let’s keep it single file!” commanded Mr. LaMonde, our seventh-grade home room teacher. We marched outside toward the adjacent gymnasium where pain and excruciation class awaited us. Mr. LaMonde mistakenly thought PE stood for phys ed.

The sidewalk leading to the gym was being widened. As we strolled past, cement workers put their finishing touches on the new section of sidewalk.
“Hey, look at that zebra on the gym roof!” my buddy Tom “Tomahawk” Stiles cried out, pointing to our right. Stupidly,I gazed at the roof.
“Ha-ha—made you look!” Tomahawk chided.;

I poked my buddy in retaliation. The next few details are hazy. It may have been that Tomahawk, whose biceps were four times the size of mine, used one of them to propel me sideways. More likely, my eyes were fixed on lovely Lisa Hockenberry instead of where I was walking.

A moment later my right foot was ankle-deep in wet cement. Quickly I extracted it, leaving a magnificent impression of my sneaker in the “mud.”

The nearest cement worker’s eyes grew narrow and then crossed. The trowel in his hand took on the qualities of a murder weapon.

Mr. LaMonde appeared magically on the scene, a hot vapor escaping from each ear. The man’s comments are best not repeated in a character-building magazine such as this. He ended his tirade with simple instructions: “You will stand here and watch these cement workers repair the damage you have done. You will continue to stand here until I come and get you. Do you understand me?”

I understood him, and standing there taught me quite a bit about cement work. How could I not absorb something?

That’s pretty much true about whatever we spend time watching, whether it’s cement workers, nature, or TV.

Best option? “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2). Watch Him, and you’ll make a good and lasting impression on others.