Temptations and the company we keep

We all have our temptations. Many times we find it hardest to refrain from giving into them when no one's looking. The other afternoon I ate quite a lot of Breyer's cookie dough ice cream straight out of the carton. You guessed it, I was all by myself. I'd have stopped a lot sooner if someone else were there--maybe.
Yesterday, I took Lethei to the doctor. She was diagnosed with a bad ear infection. The doctor looked in her ear with a "telescope" and she was all better (medicine has nothing to do with it, apparently).
Having somebody else there can make all the difference: to help us curb impulses and stay on track, to comfort, to inspire. Of course, bad company can do the opposite, encouraging us toward wrong, pulling us down. "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm."