When I was a pre-teen and early teenager, I remember reading a lot of “Choose Your Own Adventure” type novels. I’m not sure if they were particularly popular at that time, or if I just lived somewhere that time had temporarily forgotten, but that is one of the types of books that I read a lot of. Something about having the ability to change the course of the story simply based on what which path I chose for the characters appealed to me.
The premise of the books was simple. Don’t like what happened to the character? All you had to do was jump back to the last decision point and choose a different path and the story was immediately altered. It is a fascinating concept that is completely impossible in real life, mostly. We all know that we can’t rewind the clock and go back in time to make changes and alter our present. However, we CAN chart our path forward, with the regular shifts and lane changes that result from decision-making.
One of my favorite speakers is a fellow by the name of Dieter F. Uchtdorf.
“It is your choices that show what you truly are, far more than your abilities.”
I’ll be honest. I started to write this article a week ago. However, I made the decision that I wouldn’t publish it right away, as I was feeling negative and didn’t want to start off my year of writing on a sour note.
The first Monday of 2021 started off like this. I woke up feeling tired and somewhat grumpy, and a bit low in energy and enthusiasm, carrying over from the previous couple of days. Predictably, the day started to snowball from that point. Since I was already a bit sore, emotionally, it was easy to get wound up and then overreact to each new thing that occurred, no matter how trivial it might have been. By the time I sat down to write, I was steaming and frustrated. I was walking a pretty crazy mental line, with some whacky daymares playing out in my mind. If I had continued in that frame of mind, this article (and frankly, the day) might have ended up being a lot different. But I recognized that I wasn’t where I wanted/needed to be mentally, so I consciously took steps to make a change.
I picked a different blog topic that was pretty dull (frankly), but it had the advantage of being free from emotional charge. Researching and writing it allowed me to slowly cool down and to take stock of what was going on in other parts of my life. As much as I wanted to just “keep at it” and to “write out my frustrations”, I forced myself to stop for a bit and take a break. I went outside to run my dog around the park. Spending time with him never fails to lift my spirits, as he is brimming with silliness and pure happiness. By the time I came back inside, I’d had a chance to connect with some neighbors, got some sunlight and fresh air, and had seen my challenging day in a different light. My choice to pause and shift changed the outcome of my day.
I believe that one of the most basic truths of our mortal lives is that we have the ability to make choices and define our path. As much as we like to try and deflect or shift responsibility for situations away from ourselves, really, we control our reactions in different situations, which in turn determines the outcome. As I sat stewing that morning, the words of a religious leader that I respect kept floating through my mind.
“When we believe or say we have been offended, we usually mean we feel insulted, mistreated, snubbed, or disrespected. And certainly clumsy, embarrassing, unprincipled, and mean-spirited things do occur in our interactions with other people that would allow us to take offense. However, it ultimately is impossible for another person to offend you or to offend me. Indeed, believing that another person offended us is fundamentally false. To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else.”
While I wasn’t offended by anyone or anything, the core principle is essentially the same. Ultimately, we control our reaction to any situation. We can choose to be upset by something, or we can choose to let it slide and move on. We are emotional animals, however much we like to think that logic might define us. Personally, I don’t think that we can actually entirely separate logic and emotion in our lives. However, we CAN consciously work to balance out these two forces, so that one isn’t completely dominant in our lives.
So, what does all of that have to do with horticulture or plants or whatever? On the surface, nothing. However, no matter the area of our life where we find ourselves, our choices define us. I feel that we should always be considering the potential impact of our choices, both in terms of physical things, as well as the emotional. Part of making choices is taking time to think about future implications and ramifications. Another part is owning our part in carrying out the steps that follow a decision/choice.
Throughout the course of the different stages of our lives, we make choices. And outcomes result. But the important thing to remember that WE CHOSE. And we can choose again. Did you scale up, but want to scale back and simplify? Do you want to scale up, or become more specialized? Want to change your market focus, or add some new products to the table? Do you want to shift your production style or focus?
Each decision point of our lives is essentially a crossroads. Choosing one path or another isn’t inherently wrong. It is just a choice, which can be altered at the next crossroads. “When is the next crossroad”, you ask? Whenever you decide it is time.
I’ll end this thought process with several quotes that I think frame out what I was thinking about.