I read that the average adult makes 35,000 choices each and every day. Thirty five thousand seems a bit much…I know I make several decisions every day. Should I get up? Should I make the bed or brush my teeth first? What’s on the breakfast menu and so on…a quick finger count and I would guess I make a couple of thousand daily choices at the most.
Not many of these choices are mind bending or life altering, unless you count the choice of should I eat this cookie or have a carrot… that choice could have a ripple effect as one cookie leads to two cookies and so on. I have never been one to become tempted by a plate of vegetables but cookies call my name in the middle of the night. I choose to ignore them.
Several of my family and friends had kids heading back to school this week. There are some big choices to be made… what classes should they take? Should they apply for a job or focus on a sport? Is this the year that they will start to drive? And so on…. many choices and no one answer is right for everyone.
It seems most kids are more mature than I was at their age. They have an air of confidence in their decisions and they have set goals. I have been impressed by the good choices I see them making and I hope that there is an understanding that most choices are not life altering but there are some that can be bad choices, and in those cases sometimes there is no turning back.
I have to mention driving. Recently, close to our home, there was a serious accident involving nine teenagers. The truck crashed with two people in the front seat and seven people in the truck bed. My heart just fell when I read about this incident. Although they were not breaking any laws in their actions…it just wasn’t a smart choice in my opinion.
Trust me I am not a bubble wrap mom. I have ridden in plenty of truck beds in my day but only with my dad driving, not on a busy road and traveling at a safe speed. (Usually to haul a load of firewood for winter…it was not a joy ride by any means.)
In one moment in time all nine changed their lives. Many were injured. Thankfully no one was killed.
I think that it is important to stress that when it comes to choices we all have the responsibility to make good choices, whether it’s eating a cookie or driving with our friends. One bad choice can change your life forever. Your life is the sum result of all the choices you make, both consciously and unconsciously. If you can control the process of choosing, you can take control of all aspects of your life. You can find the freedom that comes from being in charge of yourself.
Robert Bennett
Taste of Home columnist Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus lives on a farm in South Haven, MN with her husband, Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents, Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious helpings of home-style recipes.
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