Have you ever looked back at your life and wondered what it might be like if you made one or two decisions differently? I believe there are a handful of decisions we make during our lifetime that define who we are and shape the rest of our lives. In addition, it influences those we love (good or bad) .
I'm not talking about where to go on vacation or if I should have more fiber in my diet... I am talking about the decisions that change the path our lives are on. Career, Marriage, where to live, what church to attend, what college, etc...
I was thinking about the major decisions I have made and realized that nearly all of them were made in my car.
I proposed to Audrey in my 1991 Nissan pickup, I decided to move to a different state in my Schwan's delivery truck, I made a career change in the passenger seat of a 1995 Toyota Camry, I decided not to continue going to college in a 1988
Chevy Prism.
Am I someone who doesn't take major choices seriously? I don't think I am. Could it be that the intimate environment and lack of distractions that a car offers creates the ideal environment for significant conversations? I don't know for sure but I am grateful for cars! I enjoy my 30 minute commute to and from work every day. It gives me time to mentally prepare for the day and unwind before I get home.
I thought about those decisions I made in all those different cars and wondered how different my life would be if I had made a different decision. (would I have made a different decision if I was in a different kind of car? like a Volkswagen Beetle or a Corvette?)
I saw in my mind, a very different path my life could have taken with different decisions. I saw a life where I was skinny, rich and happy and I lived in a 1950's Norman Rockwell America. I started to feel anxiety about the paths I have chosen and continued to stew about the lame choices I made. This went on for weeks.
I came to realize that my choices aren't so bad. (at least they could be much worse). Whatever decisions we made in the past really don't matter. What matters is where we are going and what will we choose in the future. Feeling bad or wasting time wondering what could have been won't improve the future. We can create our future with the choices we will make while driving down the interstate one day. or sitting in a drive thru or parking lot.
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2 comments:
Hi Jared, Welcome to the blogging world.
Your post reminded me of something Victor Hugo said in Les Miserables. This lady Fauntine had to find a place to drop off her daughter Cosette in Paris for child care, while she goes out to find work. She made a decision to ask at this one place, and Hugo mentions she in part made the decision because the lady of the house was sitting down instead of standing up (and I guessed looked friendlier). Then he says something about how decisions with big implications are sometimes made on something as small as someone standing or sitting.
Great picture. You have a way with words. Very thoughtful.
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