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Crossroads of Choice
 The other day I found myself suddenly ejected from my skis, thrown over the out-of-bounds fence, ending up 100 feet down a steep ravine.
It's fascinating the thoughts that go rushing through your head at such times. In this instance I had several seconds of fall, so my thoughts raced from the immediate "I hope this won't hurt my golf swing" to "This may kill me" with all manner of vivid images in-between.
Now, four weeks later, I sit here happily recovering with my leg still in a walking cast. (Happily because the "This may kill me" option did not pan out.) I'm looking out at a beautiful snowfall pondering the question I frequently ask every time an injury, whether physical or emotional, happens: What if you had an opportunity for a replay in life? Would a new choice entirely change the trajectory of your life, put you down a path leading you to a very different place and space? Or would you simply end up in a different life landscape, but having to deal with the same basic internal difficulties?
While pondering this, I heard our house guest claim exhaustedly, as he was putting on his ski boots, "Well, I've only got one day left. I guess I should get up there." Skiing to him seemed a chore. I realized I could have as blissful and magical a day here on the couch with my leg elevated as he was going to have in his reality. And I did. I answered my own question about replay. My contentment, my peace, my center, is not determined by any particular past, good or bad. It is a conscious choice right now, in the present moment. Breathe this precious life into every cell and you will create a magnificent "present" as well as the brightest of futures.
Tom Crum |
