Think

Thinking is hard. Well, not the kind of thinking that involves sentences such as "I love lamp." All cylinders need to be engaged for this sort of thinking. The kind of thinking which may cause smoke to come out of your ears--THAT sort of thinking.

There is usually a problem present to warrant such intense use of a brain. Not the usual "Should I run naked through the Barnes & Noble?" type of dilemma. I refer to problems such as "Should I stay married to this abusive man?", "Should I quit this job that I hate?", "Am I marrying the right person?", or "Should I have a DNR order in place before I have this surgery?"

Those who only think of themselves and what THEY want wouldn't find these questions daunting, because they would only consider themselves. The rest of us, however, have other people, and sometimes many consequences to consider. For instance, if a man is the main breadwinner in his family and he quits his job because his boss is a jerk, he may feel pretty justified. But if he can't get a new job, he's not the only one who suffers. His entire family suffers with him.

And so we think hard, and agonize about these sorts of questions, as they present themselves. We analyze the pros and the cons, we crunch numbers, we may consult books or the internet to research aspects of our question--anything to help us find an answer. We have to look deep within ourselves to examine our true motives and what we really want from life and determine how the answers might be wrapped up within us.

Some out there agonize over EVERY single decision they make, paralyzed with the fear of making the wrong decision. That isn't really necessary for most things, such as "paper or plastic?"(Hint: Plastic bags=BAD) We can 'wing it' on those sorts of choices, suffering no heart wrenching moments of guilt over whether we should go back and get the purple dress instead of the red one. It's the hard questions, and the hard decisions, that deserve our attention, where we should be spending our brainpower.

After all, the Barnes & Noble will still be there tomorrow.

Obstacles

What do you do when you come to a "Bump" in the road?

Do you even notice the Bump until it trips you? Does the Bump appear to you as a mountain in the road, or a minor mound?

Do you stop moving when you come to the Bump, thinking that you have reached the end of your journey? Do you then build a house, plant flowers on the Bump and live out the rest of your days?

Do you stop to study the Bump when you find it? Do you pause to consider the feelings of the Bump and the Bump's internal motivations for showing up on your path? Do you assume responsibility for the Bump, believing that it is your fault that the Bump appeared?

Do you blame the Bump for existing and being in your way? Do you feel that the Bump deserves to die because it inconvienced you by being there? Do you use dynamite to blast the Bump into oblivion, then complain about the hole created?

Do you go around the Bump? Do you go over the Bump? Do you go under the Bump? Does it even matter, as long as you continue on your journey?

Fear not the obstacles on your path, as they say.