Choices

Entry inspired by Bettye Lavette's song "Choices." She's more than kinda awesome.

I think this is a classic reflection based on my current mid-life status. Do you ever wonder what choices in life you've made, significant or otherwise, that radically changed the course of your life?

The obvious one to me is my choice of aisle at K-Mart 9/15/90, the day I met Dave. Would we be married if it weren't for that chance encounter? On one hand, you could say of course not, I set the die by flirting and inviting him to my birthday party.

BUT he didn't show up, and we didn't run into each other until six months later at Cara, Karin and Jill's, when we got acquainted. BUT we were dating other people at the time, and he was just one of the guys in the crowd.

Six months later, by chance, we ended up living next door to each other AND Dave ended up with my phone number from the previous year - it was then that we started dating. Was it our choices, the randomness of life + proximity or destiny throwing us together time and again?

What about applying for jobs? I sweated out many an application for one "dream" job after another, but the two most significant positions I've had in my career were quick applications dashed off and stuffed in the mail. The reason I got my first job? There was a glaring typo in the classified ad itself, and I pointed it out in a clever P.S., something I would not have done if I hadn't thought it a test, having answered a smart ass ad in a Chicago newspaper asking applicants to find all the mistakes. Would I have gotten the job if I hadn't pointed out the mistake?

Speaking of mistakes, where have I made mine? There are some disappointments in my life that I am reluctant to point out here for my ego sake, but I am curious as to whether my life would have turned out for the better or worse had I chosen to see what was behind curtain number 2.

And what little choices have I made to impact my life in a big way? It could be as simple as turning left instead of right. Chicken instead of beef. Saying yes instead of no -- heck, for that all I have to think about is how many opportunities I had to losing my virginity in my teens to realize how my life may have changed.

That last sentence made me woozy for a minute.

With all this contemplation, there is one thing for which I am certain. No matter what path I chose, I know I would have been happy. I've never been one to make a decision lightly, and I think if I would have chosen B instead of A, I would have been satisfied.

But I'm pretty happy with the way it is now.