Good Choices

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. That is science...and it is life. For each dollar earned, there is an expense incurred. For every choice there is a consequence. For every head there are tails...same coin, opposite sides.

As I have worked on my latest project, a double-knit afghan, I am reminded again and again of the truth that my choices matter. Good or bad? High or low? Light or darkness? Sometimes there are shades of gray, like good vs. better or bad vs. worse...but most of the time, there are clear paths to right and wrong.

I turn my afghan after every row, and I see the lighter side approximately half the time. I like the lighter side better, and I think of it as the "right" side, even though the blanket will be completely reversible when finished. I just prefer the brightness, and it is much the same in most of my life. 

When I was younger, I dabbled on the darker side from time to time, and I usually got caught. I was not very clever or cunning, and therefore have been a rule follower pretty much from birth. I wish I had had purer motives for following the rules, but it pretty much came down to getting tired of getting caught!

The older I get, the more I see that the easier choice is almost always the right choice. It may not be easier in the moment, doing the right thing is often a struggle, at least temporarily. In the long run, however, the better choice leaves me with less explanation, fewer frustrations and a clearer conscience. No need to cover my tracks if my choices are legal, morally sound and in the best interest of myself, my family and society. I sleep better when I make good choices.

I have a friend who has two dogs. One is older, a calm soul, content to sit at her feet and get a good belly rub once in awhile. The other is a little rebel! Younger and super energetic, bouncing from person to person, this wild one wants all the attention all the time. I have often heard Jes say to her ping-pong pooch, "Sadie, make good choices!," and now that she is a mom of three, I am sure her kids hear it from time to time as well! This is the recording in my head when I am facing down a third chocolate donut, or a yellow light on the brink of red, or an easy way out that might not be the best choice: "Pretty, make good choices!" (For what it's worth, I am glad that Jes is not standing in front of me with a water bottle when I hear that recording...although the threat of a cold squirt would probably also help me to make good choices!)

These days, good choices are clearer to me, and I am thankful for that. There will always be some hairs to split on good, better and best choices, and I still eat the donut sometimes (as well as making other poor choices along the way). I am far from perfect, but making good choices is easier for me than it is for Sadie, even without the water bottle!

I am also thankful that life does come with an instruction manual...the Bible. I know that some will balk at that, because they don't believe in God or that Jesus is the Messiah, and I respect that we all have our own free will and opinions. However, I would also challenge the atheist, the agnostic, the apathetic to take a look again at the greatest commandment - Love. Love is clearly the basis of the whole Bible, and if we all worked at loving well, poor choices would diminish. Living our lives with love and respect for our fellow man and for God naturally leads to better choices, and better choices make for a kinder, better world.

Thanks for joining me on the brighter side this afternoon. May we all make good choices, and Knit in Good Health today!