Making choices not easy, but some are necessary
The calendar reminds me on a daily basis that it’s definitely still winter with no signs of spring popping up around me. And yes, I still see leaves left over from fall that need to be raked, but not today. I’m still in that contemplative mood today. As I sit by my laughing fire, the weather makes my decision to stay inside an easy choice for me to make today.
I am reminded that we are constantly bombarded with having to make choices. Making choices doesn’t come easy for me. The Mr. found out early in our relationship not to give me more than two things from which to choose. My brain just isn’t wired for too many choices at once. Whether they are simple or tough, it takes me awhile to make a choice about anything.
Timing is everything when making choices.
If I’m in the middle of a project and I am asked to make a choice, I will most likely look at you with the “deer in the headlights stare.”
You know, that totally blank look.
My ancestors chose to travel from the Carolinas to Arkansas in a covered wagon. I can’t begin to comprehend making the choice to uproot and resettle in the new frontier. I often have a tough time just choosing to drive to Denver. Faced with that choice today, my ancestors would at least make a trip to check out where they plan to resettle and perhaps buy a house before moving lock, stock and barrel. That’s a choice I could handle.
Some of us have tougher choices than others. We often wonder how the choices we make today will affect our future. One of the most important and perhaps the most difficult choices for me to make has been regarding end-of-life matters. Making a will is important at any stage in life but particularly so in the later stages. Choosing to deal with those issues while I’m still relatively sane was an easy choice for me.
One of my friends told me about his siblings meeting at the family home after the last parent passed away. The sisters were in the kitchen trying to decide who was to get what, and the men were gathered in the living room. Soon, they overheard the women in a heated argument over all that stuff. So, while they continued arguing, the men emptied the house of all the antique furniture and accessories, stacked everything in a pile out front of the old farm house, struck a match and burned everything. He said that choice definitely ended the arguing.
To avoid having my children argue over anything (especially material things) after I’m gone, I have specific written instructions for them. As I see it, having a will and making endof-life medical choices are easier at this stage, more so than finding me in a situation of having to make those choices or not being able to make them for myself. I just think my children have enough to worry about without concerning themselves with the task of having to make those tough choices for me. We all tend to worry over the big choices and sweat over the small choices.
To be honest, there are many alternative choices to traditional funerals today. One choice I made is to donate my body to medical science. Another couple I know has chosen to donate their skin for medical science. Whatever you choose for your end of life, consider making those choices now. If you wait until later, the choice may not be yours to make.
My choice right now is to accept the fact that I have to stay inside out of the chilling winds of winter, and like it or not, I suppose that’s the right choice for me today.