decisions, decisions

When all the extras are stripped away, what is left of this life is the choices we've made.  Let me qualify that, at least somewhat.  I may not be able to control everything that has happened to me. But what I do control is how I respond to that or what my attitude is. In other words, when times are hard, I can choose to be the victor or the victim.  In good times, I can choose to be cheap or charitable.

Every morning, you are given a blank canvas. You have the choice to paint it with bright colors even on a rainy day. Or, find your black and gray paint pots empty from overuse. You may notice within your friends on any social media these habits.  Some friends, you love to read what fun or interesting thing they are doing now, even though they may be suffering financially or have some health issue. And others, while their circumstances are more favorable, post only gloom and doom.

In one of my darkest times: single mother of three, no child support and newly diagnosed with breast cancer, it may have been the easiest choice to wallow in self-pity. And, in fact, I did feel sorry for myself. But that is not where I allowed myself to stay. My children still needed me, I still needed to put a roof over our heads, there was still a classroom of children with autism that still needed teaching and I still needed to defeat the disease that had assailed my body.  I did not accomplish anything great, but on this side of cancer, I'm grateful that I had three kids to keep me strong.

You have a choice about how you view your life. You have a choice to be strong. You have a choice to make things better. That road might be slow. It might be painful. But you still have the choice to take it.  You are living the blessing of this life you have been given. The ability to choose is a blessing, choose wisely.