Sharing cookies and other responible acts.

With the new year well into swing and resolutions already put into action...as well broken by some of us; I started thinking about what are our responsibilities in life. I don't mean just weekly blah blah..cleaning the house, the bill paying or personal hygiene; which are obviously good things to keep up with. First of all; I feel respect ranks high on the list. You know the common sense efforts bestowed upon us by others and to others. We all learned in kindergarten to "Treat others as we should wish to be treated". We know all about this and hopefully try our best to follow this rule. What about life beyond just "playing well with others", paying our bills and taking a bath? What are our responsibilities to our families, children, friends (or those not friends)? What kind of things make us good people? Is it our resolutions each year? The diets we tried and failed at? The cool gift we got our kid when we failed to be there. Was it spending an afternoon twice a year with grandma, Aunt "Boresomebody" or with the friend that you would rather go to the dentist than see? Was it taking your kids to Disney? dressing nice? eating the four food groups and flossing? Maybe not. What drives some of us to be responsible and others to not care. Yes, there I said it; "To be responible". What is this word? What does it mean and why do we always attach it to everything except what really matters. Yes! you should pay your bills, do your homework, take a shower and visit Grandma (hopefully more than twice a year) etc etc... What I am searching for here is what makes us responsible to others; to ourselves; and just in general? Responsible to our children, our extended family, our friends and sometimes those that are not our friends or people we don't even know. What makes us responsible humans beyond "flossing twice a day"? Who taught us to do this or not do this? Young children are naturally nurturing and even responsible, they love to help others; and keep us informed of things (Ya, ya they all go through the "me stage"). Who takes this natural tendency to pat another's back, hold a friends hand, kiss a "booboo" on some sandbox buddy or share a cookie even if it is their favorite. Who fosters our caring instincts or turns them off? I know I have probably beaten this horse many times but again I will say it. There are eyes and ears on us, even when we don't know it. Others develop opinions of us, not based solely on our job performance, attendance of the "right" things, or good work out skills but on our "work ethics". By "work ethics" I am not referring just to responsibility exhibited on the job, at church, to impress others, get a great review or a pay raise; but by those things you assume nobody will ever see; and in everything you do. That friends, is responsibility! So how responsible are you? Do you need to review just how much further you could take the old saying "Do unto others, as you wish them to do unto you". Maybe in 2012 even if we have kept or failed at our resolutions as January comes to a close we should foster a new mantra "to do everything we do, as though Our Father was watching us". Maybe we should take responsible steps to not only keep up with the day to day but go a step beyond. Maybe help, reach out or do something for somebody who could never repay you. Care for others and the gifts God gives us even if no one is watching. Be forgiving, lend a hand, lead by example. Do something because it was the right thing to do: because you want to be responsible as a human being and teach others by doing. Let's follow a "Do as I do" idea. So are you truly responsible? While others are watching you; Do you do what you do because of this? or because you are watching yourself. When YOU look at YOUR actions, and how responsible you are, how do you feel? It is said that we are our own worst critics but we usually only apply this to superficial things. Are you responsible?