Choices

The thing that will take us the farthest distance TOWARD our Dreams – and the thing that can potentially take us the farthest distance AWAY from our Dreams – is simply the CHOICES we make.   How we use every minute of the time we are given adds to one side of the ledger or the other.  

“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have,

and only you can determine how it will be spent.” 

Carl Sandburg

At this dawning of the 21^st Century, choices in how we spend our time are almost limitless.  The problem is this:

The more choices we have,

the more likely it is we will choose poorly –

choosing that which “pleases us”

over that which is “good for us”.

Quartermaster

In fact, the number of things we choose NOT to do is probably THE MOST CRITICAL DETERMINANT of how far we will go. 

So how are you doing?  How much latitude do you allow yourself in choosing indulgence versus forbearance in any of the following:  Donuts/Pastries, Snickers Bars/Candy, “Comfort Food”, TV/Movies, Social Media, Tobacco, Alcohol, Drugs, Grease Burgers & Fries, Ice Cream, Soda, Gossiping, Indulging in Conspiracy Theories, Consumerism/Materialism/Shopping (How’s your credit rating holding up?) … 

What is your trademark indulgence – the one thing that “keeps you going” – the one thing you HAVE TO HAVE?   A double-latte coffee?   Coke?   A five mile run in the morning?  

It’s important to distinguish getting small, immediate satisfactions (instant gratification) versus LARGE SATISFACTIONS (DELAYED GRATIFICATION).  Compare:  

Having a soda, chips and dip while playing video games/watching movies

Versus

Conquering Antarctica by solo trek across the ice.

https://www.msnbc.com/craig-melvin/watch/colin-o-brady-talks-solo-journey-across-antarctica-1423420995903

There is not only virtue, but salubriation in giving ourselves NO CHOICE in certain areas.

“There are certain things one should not do at certain times,

and certain things one should not do EVER!” 

Quartermaster

INTENTIONALITY in choosing – choosing with some end-goal or PURPOSE in mind – is the default/de facto orientation for most successful navigation.  It’s both ennobling and enabling to be able to say: 

“I really meant to do that!”

If you need a “crutch”, try substitution/sublimation:  Eat carrots, celery, apples and oranges instead of crispy fried donuts.  Or EXERCISE!  Exercise is the best “crutch” available.    

Finally, keep in mind:

It’s OK to be a GEEK or a NERD!

It’s OK to CHOOSE TO DO stuff other people might deem completely unnecessary or “over the top” … like doing extra homework, or picking up somebody ELSE’s trash, or taking a shopping cart from the parking lot INTO the store, or speaking up and out against bullying, injustice, unfairness, etc., or letting someone else go first, or standing up against shaming, or helping a “slower” or disabled student …

Whether anybody else notices or not, YOU’LL know!  At least you can live with yourself and your integrity will remain intact.  And you’ll be able to sleep a lot better at night!  And, odds are, you’ll have even better choices tomorrow.  Choose well!  Quartermaster 

Quote of the Week

“No one can go back and make a brand new start; but anyone, starting now, can make a brand new ending.”   (attributed to Karl Barth)

EDGES

Much of our sense of well-being, our security, and overall quality of life depends on how well we manage the “EDGES” of our existence:  The boundaries, barriers and overall “framework” that define our world and keep us sane, secure, solvent, salubrious, sanguine, spirited and surging forward. 

When we lose the definition of “EDGES”, we lose significant degrees of both quality of life and navigability.  And, while “going off-road” and “coloring outside the lines” may be part of the exploratory, creative and adventurous processes that ultimately advance civilization as well as our personal place in it, a complete disregard for “EDGES” and/or for goals or aspirations that create more “yellow brick road” (with NEW or redefined “EDGES”) risks tilting the hand of Fate in a decidedly negative direction.    

The debilitating impact of “breached edges” was graphically illustrated by two recent encounters:

I.              The movie They Shall Not Grow Old by Peter Jackson [http://time.com/5466475/peter-jackson-they-shall-not-grow-old/]  This compilation of WWI film footage depicts the horrors of war – and of the absolutely abominable conditions inside the trenches – outside any conscionable boundaries of civilization. 

II.            An entry in the Lexington Herald-Leader (12/28/2018, p. 3A) graphically describes unconscionably depraved conditions – resulting from life with no discernible “EDGES” – found by law enforcement in a family’s home [http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/ODN/LexingtonHeraldLeader/default.aspx?=&id=ZXJ0aWFAd2luZHN0cmVhbS5uZXQ= ]:

“ … officers found their home infested with insects and covered in filth … the door was not secured … the house [was] in disarray and feces around the house … there were multiple flies on traps and other insects crawling along the floor and walls … The kitchen sink had dirty dishes and moldy water.  The child’s room was also teeming with crawling insects, including the child’s bed … it did not appear there was any bedding or clothes for the child in the room.  There was trash throughout the house, along with the feces from four cats and a dog … [the father] did not know how much, if any, food was in the house … [The officer] said he couldn’t check all the rooms because of the amount of ‘filth and feces’.” 

Life well-lived requires some fencing – some EDGES – some BOUNDARIES!

Sports have rules and referees for a reason.  (They also have coaches!)  Unfortunately, life requires us to figure out a lot of the “rules” as we go.  And a lot of would-be/should-be rules are treated more like “guidelines”, which we read as “optional” and not very binding.  And, much of the time, “referees” and coaches are nowhere to be found … unless or until there’s a problem, and then it’s often too late for reasonable rectification. 

So let’s just go ahead and simplify it: 

“Certain things should not be done at certain times,

AND IN CERTAIN PLACES,

and a large assortment of OTHER things should not be done altogether.

When in doubt, DON’T –

unless you’re prepared to deal with the consequences.”

Quartermaster

Or how about this one:

“Do what you’re supposed to do

and life will turn out the way it’s supposed to be.”

Words of Wisdom from an old farmhouse calendar

Music is also illustrative here.  A symphony chart is bordered, bounded and “framed” in dozens of ways for dozens of different instruments.  Even a Jazz chart – where improvisation reigns supreme – has structure.  Otherwise, one simply gets a cacophony of meaningless, cringe-worthy noise.  Life shouldn’t be a cacophony of meaningless, cringe-worthy noise!

Here are some borders, boundaries and “EDGES” you might find helpful reinforcing in your own life at this beginning of a new year:

·         Stay within a reasonable budget

·         Use “Unscheduled Time” wisely

·         Brush your teeth / Maintain Health-Wise Personal Hygiene

·         Get some exercise

·         Show up at work and be accountable

Or try this one …

“If you want to change the world,

start off by making your bed.”

Admiral William H McRaven

Feel free to expand this list for your own edification. 

FINAL NOTE

An emerging theme for this year is that sacrifices are an integral part of staying-the-course for a building the life you deserve.  Our potential cannot be reached if we insist on chasing distractions and indulgences off the road and down every rabbit hole.  Admittedly, the world is moving faster every day and it’s difficult to keep up.  And we have an intrinsic desire not to miss anything.  But the unbridled pursuit of an “off-road” agenda has fairly predictable consequences, such as: lost opportunities, muddling mediocrity, stress, anxiety, depression and meaninglessness. 

Personal Note: I’m NOT watching football bowl games at this writing (three games are currently being broadcast), and it has not diminished my life an iota!  Good Luck with your “EDGING”!   Quartermaster

Quote of the Week

“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.”  Carl Sandburg