First, let me take a moment to marvel that this post marks two years of Sudden Write Turn. The blog itself hasn’t gone viral, netted a book deal, or attracted monetizing ads or affiliations.
That was never the point of the blog. The point was to make me write, every week, for discipline’s sake and to build up a portfolio. I have subscribers who apparently are interested in what I have to say, and it does tickle me when I get a new subscriber, but I must admit:
I write for myself.
That admission is probably a blogging faux pas. But the bare truth is that I love to write and I would do it even if no one were reading. (It is better to have an audience, though.)
Digression #2: One year ago, I was in the throes of the worst cold/sinus infection/cough that I had suffered in over a decade. It was a long recovery.
Not long after, the universe spoke, the stars aligned, and God whispered to me that it was time to leave my job. It was a big decision that I had been weighing for over a year, but to make the choice to do it was laid before me.
Choose: To select freely after consideration. (Merriam-Webster’s). The Latin suggests the idea of gathering alternatives, then selecting.
It was careful consideration of my options, and of both long and short term factors, and assessment of my skill and determination…and, well, I put an awful lot of thought into this choice.
I know that my husband put a lot of consideration into his choice when selecting a new DVD player. He considered how well it would work with our television, whether it could stream from the internet, many other technicalities that are over my head, etc.
A lot of electronics will be sold on Black Friday to people who have been poring over the specs of this flat screen TV or that smartphone. Careful consideration of needs, wants, and of conditions present and future, not to mention where to get the best deal. Consumer Reports and Epinions.com bank on this type of diligent research.
We live in the Land of Choice – as in both the “best” of everything as well as in an array of options.
Sony vs. Toshiba.
iPhone vs. Droid.
Butterball vs. Organic.
1% vs. 47%
Every day is full of choices of varying significance. I wonder, though, how often it is that significance of choice and diligence of consideration actually matches up.