I want to take an opportunity to point something out. If you are reading this right now, you are functioning as a human. You have made a choice, for whatever reason, to visit the Sitdown page, probably while sitting down. Let me also say that you have made a good choice by deciding to read this week's post. But since you have chosen to sit down, chose to read, chose to go on the computer or phone in the first place, chosen to come to this site, you have made several choices in the last few minutes. Amazing, huh?
We all have the power to choose to be a success or a failure. They say (and more recently I have said quite a bit) that life is defined by moments. I have more so discovered that life is defined by choices. Every day, we make hundreds of choices. You have your general choices; what to eat, what to wear, what to do and where to go. Our brains function in a pattern of repetitive choices and we get so caught up in making choices all the time that we sometimes forget why we do the things we do. What makes us want a hamburger? Or a salad? How do we decide between the two? People will say "you just know". Hmmm, you sure about that? I'm really going to try to look deeper into this.
The human brain is an amazing thing, there is no doubt. A miracle that we can walk, and talk, laugh, make people laugh, and be laughed at. All choices. We get in our cars and drive, we need to close the door, turn on the AC or heat, roll down the windows or leave them up. Step on the gas or the brakes. Run the yellow light? Look at that hottie running. Shit, I need gas. This song is awesome. Turn up the volume. ALL MORE CHOICES. How do we do all this and not work our brain into overdrive? It's no wonder why we spend almost half of our life sleeping. It's no wonder we all die. We all just become exhausted! We do this same routine, every single day without fail because we have decided this is how we live.
Think about that concept for a second. You are a living specimen on this earth. A walking, talking, eating, choice maker that drinks, laughs, cries, plays, and drives. I think about how many choices we make even when we do something. Go to Starbucks, what coffee do I get, how do I order it, how much is it, what do I pay with, where do I stand to wait, how long will it take to get it. I absolutely realize we can't possibly think about every single choice we make. But one choice affects another. While I have sat here writing this, I've already thought about sex, how I'm hungry, what movie I should watch after this, and how many people will read this.
How do we know how to think? How do we decide? How?
Last night, I chose to drink alcohol. A lot of alcohol. I decided that I needed to let loose, finally just give in and make the choice to party hard. This is something I've done many times before and we have all done that at least once in our life. And if you haven't, honestly, get with it. Not because you need to party and get silly, not because it's the cool thing to do but because it's a part of life. And you have to, and I mean this, HAVE TO try new things. A club, a food, a mall, a trip, a pet, a new friend, a job. Get out and get with it.
I remember the first time I saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and I remember first of all thinking, what a great choice I had made to watch this movie. There's a part in the movie when Brad Pitt says it's never too late to be who want to be and do what you want to do. Without regret. I thought to myself....yes. It's that simple. I want to make great choices in my life and be happy at what I'm doing. I don't want to limit my choices. Ever. Even when I'm sick or even when I'm old. The most rewarding thing about life is that we all get the power to choose. My thanks go out to whoever created human existence. Why be mean? Why not choose to be happy? Why not choose to let loose? Why not choose to be nice to at least one person a day.
My parents bought me a picture that hangs up in my house. I call it the life tree picture and it describes, in the simplest of terms, how to live life. And every time I look at it, I think about the meanings in what it says and how to CHOOSE. Choosing to make a handshake mean more then a pen and paper and choosing to count your blessings and thank the powers that be. To look at what you have instead of what you don't have. To smile and to search for you purpose as best as you can. Awesome stuff.
The greatest documentary I have seen in awhile was called Lucky, a story about people who became overnight millionaires from playing the lottery. I thought about all the choices they would have had to make and all of the things that would have had to have gone perfectly, in a ideal scripted sort of way, in order for them to hit it big. The time they got the ticket, the people they passed gripping the same hope in a piece of paper with numbers, the store they went to and the complete RANDOMNESS of it all. The odds stacked against them and for some, choosing the numbers to play. And them comes the choice of what to do with all that money once you have it. Wow. Just wow.
Choosing to choose is the greatest gift of all. In some way, shape or form, I am absolutely floored with how the brain works and how we decide. It really just depends on like...so, many, things. Choices occur every second. Everywhere. What choice will you make next? Will it be a good one? Or a bad one? What will that choice lead to? How will your script go? I can tell you that this writer is amazed and baffled by it all. Thinking about choices has made me think twice about the choices I make everyday. Deeper thought processes that ignite conversation; it really is what life is all about.
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