What a Difference a Choice Makes !!

Whatta Big Diff Choice Makes !!

Choice. A single word. An action, a verb ?

No. It’s an adjective to describe a noun :

“Man, that was a really choice restaurant…”

Yet much more importantly, yes, a noun, a thing :

A selection.

A choosing.

An option.

An alternative.

A decision.

A vote.

Yet, more importantly -

A whisper of a new Possibility.

A big honking

translucent

transparent

gossamer

diaphanous think about it do I turn left or right or say yes or no : Choice.

Think about it do I turn left or right or say yes or no : Choice.

For 5 months I  have been actively concentrating my mind around this concept of,

“a choice.” I began this interest when joining Weight Watchers and how it pertained to Food Choices. The power of a single choice. What that means. Which way do you go ? Towards health, or towards the slovenly careless haphazard so easy lackadaisical ingrained habitual not caring really junky food. Choices became equated to food. And that is where it all started. Where it all began. Nourishment. Food Choices.

I mastered the equation by stopping, & reflecting upon what exactly I was stuffing down my gullet. I learned to merely pause, examine, & choose. I quickly made better decisions food-wise. The visual viable results confirmed how this shift determined my future goal of weight loss. It voila’ worked. I lost alotta weight. My world now so rocked in so many rock n’roll ways. And it all had to do with a simple mindful pause. A mindful pause I call : choice.

Intrigued with this single basic concept, this key I had discovered,

I began taking it further into other aspects of my life.

How do I respond to people ? Automatically or take a breath then speak thoughtfully ?

Do I allow something / anything to really really bug me ?

Or look at it for what it is & say it is truly not worth any precious time or energy.

When somebody does not return my times when I reach out to them,

do I feel hurt or accept that this might be  the time to move beyond onward forward and ahh let go. Is rejection so terrible or is it a realization for weeding and unto newer brighter pastures, growth & expansion elsewhere ?

This renewed outlook had been

set in motion as I repeated my

new mantra : choice.

I will never forget the one night when the example of choosing a choice was so boldly blatantly right before my opened eyes a real for real observable reality. Crystal clear.

I could say this event was near an epiphany in proportions.

Ok. I will try to put the un-wordable into words :

I am feeling a soft tickling on my face. Again & again. My brain was not turned on at this point, yet my face’s tactile sensors were on. This continued on. Tickle. Almost as if feathery light kisses. It was nice. The unusual aspect of this event was how long I stay submerged inside this liminal in-between stage experiencing this soft delicate facial tappity tap tap tapping.

Then. Awaken. Signs of life appear. Cerebral consciousness, like a light switch, turned on. Flip !! I am awake !! I have come out of slumber to discover a spritz. A drizzle of rainy water droplets upon my face. The evening’s forecast had not reported this precipitous outcome. At first, I processed my discovery of yes, this is rain,  labeled it rain, categorized it as rain, identified it as definitely rain, and yet yet yet, I stayed and enjoyed these moments longer, stay still, savored, and took the whole scene in. It was so nice. It was pleasantly pleasant.

The skylight roof netting of the tent had allowed merely this misty dewy rainfall to fall down inside upon the sleeping occupants. I slowly got up and drew the waterproof curtain over the tent. And then reflected upon…what exactly had just transpired.

Strange how different I reacted to this rainfall.

Instead of freaking out and saying Oh No !!!! I’m getting wet !!!

I just paused and stayed with how the drops had made me feel which was delightful.

I noted my shift. My reaction. My pause. My chosen choice.

I am liking where this matter of choice business is leading me to. Overall life, or me, it seems, is a bit more slowed down. I feel like I am seeing the world with new eyes,

because I am relating to the world with a new set of controls, where pause and choose is a newly installed circuit breaker which creates this freedom to act & not react.

Not be re-active.

I am seeing many results happening already. Brand new people are responding to me and appearing out of nowhere. I stop and observe nature much more earnestly and find similarities in many interactions with beings of all shapes & sizes. And moreover, I maintain a prevailing sense of relaxation. I see now that choice is like The Key to success on so many levels.

The moral of the story ? If you leave the cake out in the rain and you have lost the recipe it is ok. And if you are too young to not have heard these lines of this particular song before, or know who sang the hurdy gurdy man song that’s ok too. You have your songs to sing.

Just be sure to sing them. Sing those songs. It don’t matter if you way off outta tune or got no rhythm or don’t remember all those doggone words. Or even sing the right words.

Dad used to sing “Shy Violet” for “Sky Pilot.” Love it. Just sing your heart out.

the poem : “Making A Choice”  

by Kris Strell

Okay. I will try to put it into words. My. How it tickles.

A sensitivity, a direct sensation of frequent soft prickles.

Only This. Impression upon. A feeling first & that was all.

Zero cerebral circuitry nor neurons firing, as I recall.

Skin inquiring. Tactile premonitions. Quite the funny feeling.

Repeating. Again. Tappity-tap. Again. & Quite appealing.

Brain labeling identify-er apparatus not on nor even engaged

Eyesight vision closed down only using the touch & feel gauge.

Awaken !! Awareness joins in. Signs of life slowly appear.

A-Ha !! Spritz. Drizzle. Sprinkle. What the heck is this here ?

The evening’s forecast void of this surprise outcome & so amiss.

My face covered in micro rainy drops that was if it was a kiss.

The tent’s skylight filtering netting admitting this fine muted mist.

My delight my glee to be here awake alive now & strongly exist.

A tender gift showered upon me from way high up above.

I rose to close the waterproof curtains with so much love.

The normal reflex outcry : Oh No !! it’s raining & I’m getting wet !!

Now, how these dazzling droplets have brought me no fret.

Whereas before this scene would have caused me dismay

I see how choice has time & again impacted my day to day

To realize my initial shocked reaction when feeling rained upon.

Yet to lay still. Take it in. Enjoy the moment of this dawn’s song.

No longer does anything have a pre / predetermined cause

Because. The difference. The shift now. I breathe. I take a pause.

To, possibly stop, or flip flop. To react ? or retract. Recall. Reclaim.

To consider a choosing, a decision, a way to be, & then take aim.

Now a surrendering, a pervasive peace overrides my tranquil domain.

I see how simply making a choice has impacted my day to day.

The practice of optional alternatives is now leading the way.

And the consequence of such is creating an overriding calm AOK.