Choices

Sometimes when I visualize my life, I see it as a road. I see myself traveling up this long road, mostly straight and unhindered, with the occasional bend. This visual is probably influenced greatly by my singing of "The Long and Winding Road" in High School choir. It is kind of a nice picture, this pretty winding road we follow through life. A kind of a predestined route that we have only to keep following. Nice maybe, but totally unrealistic.

The real road we walk is very different. It has pot holes, u-turns, stops, flat tires, areas that are unpaved, and falling rocks. It is uncharted and we travel it shrouded in a fog that keeps us from seeing where it is going. Sometimes the road seems easy, but even then there are turns that have to be made that require a choice on our behalf.

Sometimes I think we want to believe our road is predetermined. After all, then our circumstances are out of our control. This is especially true if our life has not turned out the way we expected. After all, life is unfair, right? Well, actually...no. Get ready to curl your toes under because there is a good chance I may be stepping on them.

We make choices every single day and sometimes the choices we make can have big consequences on our lives. We choose what is important to us. Smoking a pack of cigarettes every day, or paying the electric bill? Buying things we don't really need, or saving for a family vacation? Looking at College as too much work and effort, and then 30 years later wondering why we can't live like the Jones's live. Not having the time to spend with our kids, and instead buying them all the latest electronic gadgets, and then when we are older wondering why family time isn't important to them.

Are you bitter? Do you feel like some people get all the breaks? Have you had major tragedies or illness that others have not? You still have the choice. You choose how you handle and respond to events that are out of your control. The event alone does not determine your future...your response to it does. 


There is a popular saying, "There but for the grace of God go I." That is true only in circumstances out of one's control and then only in that moment. I want to introduce you to Joni Eareckson Tada. Many of you may have heard of her, if not, take a moment to listen to her story. It is profound. Then maybe the next time you want to blame your circumstances on others or feel sorry for yourself, you will instead decide to choose a more positive turn in the road.

Blessings ~Marla

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Two steps forward, one step back. I used to use this saying a lot. When women are pushing out those babies progress can seem slow for some. They push with all their might and move that baby closer to delivery. But then, when they relax, a little of that progress may be lost. I would often explain it as, two steps forward, one step back. Progress was still being made, and they needed to focus on that, not the small movement in the opposite direction. As any good labor and delivery nurse knows.....part of the job is being a cheerleader! Push! Push! Push! (Rah! Rah! Rah!). Great job! You are making great progress! (Go Team!). See, sometimes it is all about attitude. Imagine the mom pushing her heart out and the nurse just standing there and then saying, "Really? Is that the best you can do? You will never get that baby out." Most women would quickly become exhausted and beaten down. With a cheerleader by her side she is more likely to rest between the contractions and come back energized for the next one. Attitude matters. Want proof? The following was a study related to heart attack patients. Researchers had 2,800 heart disease patients fill out a questionnaire that asked whether they thought they could recover from the disease and return to a normal life.
After 15 years, 1,637 of the patients had died. Of those deaths, 885 (54 percent) were due to heart disease. Patients who had an optimistic outlook were 30 percent less likely to die during the follow-up period, said the researchers from Duke University Medical Center.


I will admit, I tend to be a positive person.  But what if you aren't? What if the cup always looks half empty to you? Well, that doesn't mean you can't learn to have a positive outlook. I don't believe I am innately positive. I have to actively seek out the positive aspects of certain situations. I have to shove the negative thoughts to the side and focus on the positive. This does not come naturally for me, it is a learned behavior. And anyone can learn it.
Happiness is an attitude.  We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong.  The amount of work is the same.  ~Francesca Reigler


This week has definitely been a step backwards for me. But not the two steps backward it could have been. So I have slept, rested, enjoyed a couple of books, and have had a break from cooking. More planning, less doing. Not such a bad thing really. And the weather has cooperated by being the kind that makes you want to stay in curl up with a good book anyway. While I had this extra time I decided to find a bible verse that spoke to this. Here is one I found. If this doesn't encourage one to look for the bright side of things, I don't know what will!
"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."
Proverbs 17:22 ESV

Ugh! I think I'll keep working on that joyful heart! How about you?

Blessings ~Marla