Choices
Every day we are surrounded by choices. We have choices to
make at home, in our work place, in social circles, etc.
As a speech pathologist, choices are something we often work
on. It allows that student some ownership and freedom . In our community, I am
challenged daily with different choices impacting the community. I struggle
most with knowing what choice will be most supportive or least destructive to
our flow as Sobremesa. If I choose to work late, see a friend, go on a date…
then I ultimately take myself away from Sobremesa. I miss out on my favorite
times with my community mates… sharing our daily struggles and stories. If I
choose to fold Louie’s laundry, call Clare, make dinner, workout together, or
have a beer/glass of wine with Clare and Louie then I am showing them they
matter to me and I care about them. In the same way their choices show me time
and time again that they care about me. A simple text or email asking about my
day after a hard week, a gift on the table for All Saints Day, a smile or hug,
or time spent chatting on the couch… their daily choices show me their support
for who I am as a person.
As a co-worker stared at a catalog the other day, she
described a study she once heard about. People were broken down into different
groups, each group given differing numbers of “solutions” to “problems”. The
group with the fewest choices slept the best and was, in turn, the happiest.
The group with more choices felt unrest, slept less, and rated themselves less
happy. My co-worker was staring at the 4th page of glue sticks you
could choose from, saying maybe this is why the United States is in the state
that it is…. Too many choices.
With all of the choices we I have access to… I want to
challenge myself to be more aware of the impact my choices make on others. The
positive and negative affect my choices have on my friends, co-workers,
students, and especially my community. I want to be more aware… more present…
and show them that they are a priority to me.
A phrase that is often shared here at Sobremesa is “Choice
determines situation.”
From Radical Hospitality- “We are created by our
choices, and we create the world by those choices.”
Mary Anne Admacher- “We define each moment by what we choose
to care about.”
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