Choices, Choices, Choices...

I’ve been listening to old Radiolabs. (it’s a good podcast, look it up on iTunes, if you’re so inclined.) The one I just listened to was about Choice. One of the commentators talked about how the amount of choice we have is endless. There used to be defaults in life paths. It was never a question about getting married, or getting a job, or even what to eat. But today there are an over abundance of options. We are keenly aware (or naively believe?) that we can make our life follow any number of paths. At any time we, as the elite middle class people we are, can go back to school; be a day-laborer; quit society and move to the woods; settle down and make having a family a priority; and the list goes on and on....

I’ve noticed that I am constantly analyzing each road I take in life and am continuously asking questions: am I happy doing this? is there something that I would rather be doing? what can I improve? And this constant rational examination makes it nearly impossible to live each day for each day.

This past weekend, a.k.a Christmas, Heather and I took off to my last BVS project, Camp Myrtlewood. It was a weird homecoming. I, of course, did some analyzing of my life since leaving camp, but I more just let the time be. I was able to really enjoy the time and savor each moment. It was great to catch up with old friends. It renewed my soul to wonder aimlessly in the woods. It calmed me to sit by the mountain stream.

One path that Radiolab proposed was precisely this: We should try to leave rationality at the door and go boldly into the unknown, trusting our feelings and emotions.