I Choose

I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of choice lately. On my recent walks and quiet moments I’ve been listening to some different audiobooks and podcasts that have included good ideas about what we do in our daily lives and over the span of our lifetimes that are driven by our attitude and choices in how we react to the situations we find ourselves. Inevitably for me this brings me back to my oft repeated mantra of choosing to live and how it continues to drive me.

Browsing Overdrive a few weeks back I came across the short book “Survival Lessons” by Alice Hoffman. Hoffman is a successful novelist that also happens to be a cancer survivor. She wrote this sort of missive full of practical advice for those experiencing cancer, mostly to the one diagnosed but also to those others affected. I found it particularly motivating in its simple reminders, especially a chapter where she repeated various suggestions prefaced by the directive “I choose to” then what she suggests. I choose to find happiness in each day. I choose to just say “no, I don’t want to do that right now” when you simply don’t have the energy or desire. I choose to be honest. I choose to be fearless. And so on.

The book was full of great quotable phrases and ideas, as you would expect from a good writer. As someone that’s never fancied himself a writer but has found it therapeutic in this recent journey, I especially enjoyed this one.

“There's a very thin line that separates readers and writers. You make a leap over that line when there’s a book you want to read and you can’t find it and you have to write it yourself.”  - Alice Hoffman

And while I have no aspirations to learn the intricacies and quality of a “real” writer, it does inspire me to continue to share my thoughts and ideas periodically or even perhaps more often. I don’t fancy myself a motivational speaker or influencer in the making, just another human on this planet with my own life experiences and perspectives to share. I write many of these streams of consciousness almost every day as I am out on those dog walks or when I shut off my brain from outside focus in the middle of a bike ride or spin class. Only some of them actually make it into recorded words much less shared online. I need to do better about at least writing them down.

I’m going to try and keep them a little shorter going forward I think. I’ve had many comment that my writings are a bit too long, and I don’t disagree. When I start typing the stream of ideas in my head often I just keep going until I get tired or nothing more comes to mind on that particular thread. It’s not all that digestible in todays quick scroll medium. Mostly I’ll try to keep it shorter in an effort to share a little more frequently rather than letting it build up over time and forgetting the majority of what’s been running through my brain.

I have no expectations that this will generate any new audience or resonate significantly with anyone. It’s still for me. Just today I find myself thinking “I choose to take the time to write a little more often.” And if I’m going to write, I might as well share it somewhere because perhaps that day someone else will find it meaningful, helpful, or even just a little interesting.

Also, going forward I’m going to abandon the Facebook “Notes” format for my posts. I’m finding that they are not making their way through the almighty algorithm as well and simple posts. Perhaps that’s just my perception, but the interaction outside of major life events has dropped significantly. So if you’d like to actually have these pop up in your timeline, consider dropping in a comment each time, it really makes a difference in how much not only you see them but also whether the Facebook AI overlords see fit to share it with others. Plus, I really enjoy the interactions with all of you.

So that’s it for today. Lots more running through my mind but I’ll stick to that commitment and save it for next time. See, I just made a choice right there!

Photo of my beautiful daughters included to catch your attention :)