The Terrible Twos, and the Art of Decision-Making

Hey Preps!

Flying is a win-lose game.

Today I lost...the result?

Taking a selfie for y'alls enjoyment on the plane. 

Decisions.  Every day we make thousands of them whether they are food choices, creating our schedule, or determining what we love/hate in life.  Sometimes we really stink at making them.  We look back at times in our lives and think, "What a doofus! Why did I do that!? What was I thinking!?".

Most of the time, those decisions we thought were such a big deal at that given point in our life, are not as big as they seemed when looking back.  Sometimes those decisions result in a humorous story (even if it wasn't so humorous at the time).

Then there are the decisions we look back and wish we could change them.  I wish I had majored in...(you fill in the blank).  I wish I had moved to...I wish I hadn't quit....
Some decisions are more life altering than we wish they had been.  For example, I often joke about how as an 18-year-old going to college; with all of these ideals of what college would be like in my head, I made a decision to attend a school based off of things that are no longer important to me.

How was I to know that as a young, whimsical, 18-year-old girl?  I couldn't.

We can spend our whole lives regretting decisions we made.  I would be successful if I had done...If I had gone to this school, I would have the ability to do....

What good does that do?

For example, I am currently on a flight back to Pittsburgh, after having an interview at Stanford this past week.  So, if I were to land the job that I interviewed for...I would have a huge life decision of whether to pack up my bags and move cross country away from everything I know or not.  Sure, it's something I am sweating a little bit about...but I know that at age 50 I will look back on the decision and smile either way.

Then I made the decision of climbing on to my plane...and sitting right in front of a terrible two year old.  She has cried, kicked my seat, and pulled my hair for the past three hours.  My decision for an appealing window seat with no one sitting on either seat next to me was too much for my fast decision making nerves in my brain to resist, and without rationalizing the miserable feats of the terrible twos, I slung my bag down and happily plopped into my spacious spot.

A decision I deemed so desirable and pleasant initially has resulted in no sleep, and one heck of an uncomfortable and loud plane ride (also has clarified that I am so far from ready to have any children in my life anytime soon).

Isn't it funny how one teeny decision can result in a festering of ideas, events, and interactions in your life?

I wish I could tell you the magic formula on how to make 'the right' decision, however, I am far from figuring that one out yet myself.  I guess for me, and my random plane ponderings, I have decided that every decision that you make, helps you to grow into a better, smarter, and stronger person.  Who can maybe make better decisions based off of what they have discovered in their past.  Sometimes it's good to reflect on our past and to see how far we have come since then...yet at least for me, I am going to continue to keep striving for an even better future, living in the moment, yet hopefully getting better at planning and making decisions in my life.  I hope you will do the same.

I mean...no one wants to repeat their terrible twos...or high school for that matter....

Keep striving to be the best you can be!

God bless y'all!