choice

as i did my work this morning, the topic of 'choices' was on my mind.
the idea of being aware of what we're choosing and
understanding when something isn't healthy and the pull some of those
things can have for us, and what we decide to choose when the unhealthy is tuggin'.

why do we make the choices we do?
what gives us the strength to make the hard healthy choices sometimes,
and what is going on when we don't?

all that was whirling around inside me with not many clear answers.

i walked thru my living room and glanced down at my
'angelic messenger cards' (meredith young-sowers)
and stopped mid-stride.
okay.
what the heck.
i changed direction.
sat down on my couch.

grabbing the deck, i shuffled and thought about choices.
'give me SOMETHING about choices, okay?' i asked the air.

i grabbed a card.

and yes.
you guessed it.
and no,
i'm not kidding.
the card's title was 'choice.'

'are you kiddin' me?!' i said out loud.
and then shook my head.
why would i ever even doubt this stuff??

and i grabbed the book, and looked up the meaning of the card.
looking for something to help me sort.

this is the part i really liked and wanted to share -

'When making a choice, it isn't just which option you choose,
it is the quality, intention, and commitment from which you choose
that course of action that tells you whether or not your spirit is
engaged in the decision.'

i like that a lot. it makes you really think about what you're doin'.

she goes on to give examples - 'You are not asked to choose between
celibacy and sexuality but to create relationships that support mutual
giving and receiving of love. You are not asked to choose between
eco-spirituality and eco-destruction but rather to establish an honorable
means of balancing all needs for life.'.......

i liked the way she put that.

i thought of some of my own choices.
if i stop long enough and think about things this way,
the choices become clear.
maybe not easy, but clear.

the thing is -
how often do i stop long enough to consider?

not often enough.
and i'm inspired to do more stopping and considering.

this of course is aimed at people who want to be a certain way.
want to be, what i see in my eyes as healthy.

that too is a choice.
someone may not choose to look at things like this.
and that would change everything.

maybe that's something we gotta start with first.
what is healthy for ourselves, and how committed are we to creating it?