Choices {Life in a Random Word, Installment 3}
I wonder how many choices most of us make on an average day?
Some of them are mundane enough...
Rise and shine a bit early or sleep a few extra minutes in the morning?
Which kind of tea with breakfast?
Do the ironing before or after school with Gavin?
What should I make for supper to go with the salmon cakes?
While others hold a little more weight...
What should we name the baby?
Which curriculum should we choose for Elasa's language arts?
Where do we start looking for a new couch to replace the one going out for bulky pickup?
How do I teach my children to stop fighting with each other?
Do I want the grey diaper bag with lime accents or the tan one with orange? (Oh, wait! Maybe that doesn't count as a "weighty decision"...!)
Life is constantly throwing choices at us, and while we make many decisions on any given day without a second thought, others require careful consideration.
Or, maybe it should be said, they should require careful consideration, for here's the scary thing: the very choices that look so mundane and boring are often the very ones that define who we are.
For instance, one of the choices I am presented with countless times a day is how much of "me" I am going to let go of.
People talk of mothers being so "selfless" and of motherhood being an occupation that takes the "self" out of us, but for me, the choice of being a selfish mother or a selfless mother is presented over and over and over again throughout the day.
Unfortunately, I did not give birth to a selfless nature along with my firstborn, and the choice of how I am going to behave toward my children is something that requires constant work as I strive for higher ground.
It is my opinion that when you see a selfless person, either in a mother or some other admirable figure, it is because they have chosen that mode of behavior, and most likely with a lot of blood, sweat and tears.
There are times when I would like to think that the little things don't matter so much, but if little drops of water make the mighty ocean, then probably the little moments and choices that make up my days will eventually culminate into what my children will look back on as their childhood.
And so...
Will I share the one leftover pork chop at lunch or claim it all for me because I need it the most?
Will I push Parker away when he comes to me with a book the instant I sit down or say, "Sure, let's read!"
Will I have a good time letting the children help me make coleslaw?
Will I snap at the child interrupting my nap?
Will I have a gentle touch for the sick or irritation at the inconvenience?
So many of the choices I deal with each day are not a matter of what I am going to do, but how I am going to do it! So, yes, I am going to make supper (and once I have decide on salmon cakes and coleslaw. that's one bridge crossed!) but will I do it with a soundtrack of grumbling or an aura of grace?
Each day holds a rather complex array of multi-layered choices, and as we make decisions and peel away the layers one by one, we move from the physical into the spiritual to reveal, at the core, who we really are.
Which presents one final choice:
What am I going to do about it?
Some of them are mundane enough...
Rise and shine a bit early or sleep a few extra minutes in the morning?
Which kind of tea with breakfast?
Do the ironing before or after school with Gavin?
What should I make for supper to go with the salmon cakes?
While others hold a little more weight...
What should we name the baby?
Which curriculum should we choose for Elasa's language arts?
Where do we start looking for a new couch to replace the one going out for bulky pickup?
How do I teach my children to stop fighting with each other?
Do I want the grey diaper bag with lime accents or the tan one with orange? (Oh, wait! Maybe that doesn't count as a "weighty decision"...!)
Life is constantly throwing choices at us, and while we make many decisions on any given day without a second thought, others require careful consideration.
Or, maybe it should be said, they should require careful consideration, for here's the scary thing: the very choices that look so mundane and boring are often the very ones that define who we are.
For instance, one of the choices I am presented with countless times a day is how much of "me" I am going to let go of.
People talk of mothers being so "selfless" and of motherhood being an occupation that takes the "self" out of us, but for me, the choice of being a selfish mother or a selfless mother is presented over and over and over again throughout the day.
Unfortunately, I did not give birth to a selfless nature along with my firstborn, and the choice of how I am going to behave toward my children is something that requires constant work as I strive for higher ground.
It is my opinion that when you see a selfless person, either in a mother or some other admirable figure, it is because they have chosen that mode of behavior, and most likely with a lot of blood, sweat and tears.
There are times when I would like to think that the little things don't matter so much, but if little drops of water make the mighty ocean, then probably the little moments and choices that make up my days will eventually culminate into what my children will look back on as their childhood.
And so...
Will I share the one leftover pork chop at lunch or claim it all for me because I need it the most?
Will I push Parker away when he comes to me with a book the instant I sit down or say, "Sure, let's read!"
Will I have a good time letting the children help me make coleslaw?
Will I snap at the child interrupting my nap?
Will I have a gentle touch for the sick or irritation at the inconvenience?
So many of the choices I deal with each day are not a matter of what I am going to do, but how I am going to do it! So, yes, I am going to make supper (and once I have decide on salmon cakes and coleslaw. that's one bridge crossed!) but will I do it with a soundtrack of grumbling or an aura of grace?
Each day holds a rather complex array of multi-layered choices, and as we make decisions and peel away the layers one by one, we move from the physical into the spiritual to reveal, at the core, who we really are.
Which presents one final choice:
What am I going to do about it?
Comments
Post a Comment