| View Blog
|
|
|
|
Thank you EasyToSay..for passing the baton to me..In keeping with the Olympic spirit I thought I would post this question in the U.S. colors. Go team USA..For all of you who have gone before me..Great thought provoking questions. I know we will have many more good questions as this site is filled with intelligent, caring people.
We all make choices everyday...small choices that really don't affect anyone else and big choices that have a big affect on other people. Face it... Life is about choices. My question today is about the seriousness of the choices we make, sometimes without realizing the life altering effect they will have.
What choice have you made that seemed small at the time..but had a profound effect on your life or the lives of others?
If you can't think of one..then answer this question...What choice do you make daily that effects the lives of the people around you including yourself?
I look forward to reading your answers.
I would like to pass the baton to...WhiteKnight
Everybody check out the US BMX team..this is the first time there will be a BMX event in the Olympics...WOOT!!
Go Team USA.
peace :) shemelts
|
|
Posted by shemelts on 2008-08-14 06:26:04 | Rating: | Views: 101
|
|
| |
|
|
| Blog Comments
|
|
|
|
What ever happened to the old 'What's you favorite color' type questions? Jeez. Now I have to think!
I will answer I guess.
In answer to the first was my decision to travel to Ukraine after my fiance had passed. I was able to met her family and finally realize that not only had my Victoria affected my life but the lives of everyone she knew. People called me crazy and told me not to go, but I stood with her family and talked and realized that I would carry those faces and those people in my mind and heart forever.
As far as daily decisions, it seems lately that everything has a profound effect on my future.I would have to say that I choose to be constantly thinking about the academy and how even driving down the street could affect my entry, or how I deal with people on a professional level. I think that people are noticing a change in me and hopefully that will affect their way of thinking about me
Does that make sense?
I guess I am trying to set my mind on the right path.
Oh and blue is my favorite color!
|
|
Posted by TheAmandaChronicles
on 2008-08-14 07:25:09
|
|
|
|
In 1993 I was a happy woman indeed. My husband and I had just settled into our new home with our then 5 and 2yr. old children. I had remodeled the basement for the daycare and all was well. My younger brother and his girlfriend had just delivered their first child and were ecstatic. Both he and his gf..needed to go back to work and pleaded with me to keep their beautiful baby girl. I was working from 6am.-4pm.
and they worked second shift. I told them I would keep her until they could line up a sitter. She was their first child and she was only 8 weeks old so they were reluctant to leave her with anyone. With my early schedule, it was difficult for me to keep her at night..so I set the wheels in motion to find a sitter. I interviewed (because of my knowledge with child care) their sitters for them. We selected a lady that was registered with the state and the baby started there immediately. She went for her 2 month checkup soon after and received all of her immunizations. The sitter gave her the required tylenol..but her parents noticed the bottle seemed to be emptying a little too fast. Upon questioning the sitter said she had given some to her son.
Long story short after being there for only a week..tragedy struck. I was listening to the scanner by my bed..I was in bed listening to a c.d., when I heard them go to the sitters house..baby unresponsive..not breathing. Yes folks, the baby died. She was 10 weeks old and weighed 8 pounds. I rushed to the hospital..and held her while we all wept..the shock and devastation I felt was unbelievable. The autopsy showed she had pneumonia..which we all question..due to the behavior of the sitter at the hospital.
My choice to not take care of her for them..eventually led to her death. Noone will ever know the profound effect this choice had on my life. At the time it seemed like the right thing to do..at least for me. Turns out it was definitely not. It changed all of our lives..and was something that could not be changed. If I could change one thing in my life..it would be this choice. Hind sight is 20/20..and you can see your mistakes playing out, and the things you could have done differently are so clear.
One of my favorite sayings is Keep Moving Forward..and folks, I slowly accepted my mistake and forgave myself...but I am always aware of how my choices affect other people.
peace :) shemelts
|
|
Posted by shemelts
on 2008-08-14 09:04:13
|
|
|
|
I didn't make a small choice, but a very big one that impacted the lives of my family. My dad suffered a stroke and we were told he would be in a coma for the rest of his life. The choice had to be made to take him off the ventilator or leave him on it. Although I am not the oldest, I was the power of attorney, and was the one responsible to make this decision.
In my heart of hearts, I know taking my Dad off the ventilator and allowing him to die peacefully was the right choice, but some of my siblings did not see it that way. I will never forget for as long as I live my sister looking straight into my eyes and telling me "you are killing Dad." To this day, we do not talk, which makes me sad about my decision, but I did not make that choice for her, I did it for him, and know it was the right choice.
As for the small thing I choose to do each day that I feel has an impact on others is to let my family know each and every day how much I love them and what great people they are. People need to know they are loved and appreciated, which affects them in a very positive way.
|
|
Posted by slowtolearn
on 2008-08-14 09:39:13
|
|
|
|
|
I also wanted to say, I am sorry about your neice. You certainly didn't make your choice maliciously and had no way of knowing the outcome. You sound like a very loving person and I am glad you choose to forgive yourself...although we can easily forgive others, it seems to be extremely hard to forgive ourselves. Keep moving Forward is a great motto and one I also choose to live by :)
|
|
Posted by slowtolearn
on 2008-08-14 09:44:06
|
|
|
|
I think even the small choices can impact people more then we'd like to think.It seems like every choice I make matters to someone like "what kind of lunch meat did you buy"? Someone will feel like they didn't get their first choice.
I say a positive impact I made by a large choice was leaving SD back when my daughter was a baby. It brought new family home to my family. I met a wonderful man later that became her dad ,my husband and a new son was born.
|
|
Posted by anotherdaze
on 2008-08-14 10:30:56
|
|
|
|
Slowtolearn..I am sorry about your dad..I made a similar choice with my Mom back in June. I had 2 sisters tell me I was killing her. Thank goodness mother was at her faculties and explained her choice (I just had to enforce it) to them. It is hard even now..because I know full well she would still be alive had I not enforced her decision. Thanks for your kind words. In May Brandi (my neice)would have been 15 years old. She died on my mom's birthday and anniversary. One of the saddest things is that Brandi's parents married that morning..but chose to go on to work and celebrate over the weekend. They wanted the same anniversary as my mom and dad to honor them. :(
anotherdaze..I'm with you on the grocery dealio..can't please everybody..and as moms we feel like we need to.
My positive impact..Daily I tell the people I love..that I love them. I compliment the people around me..sincerely. I love little children who don't get enough attention from their fast paced home life. If somebody is feeling down..I try to lift them up.
peace :) shemelts
|
|
Posted by shemelts
on 2008-08-14 12:20:18
|
|
|
|
Well I am going to sort of cheat here
I am not going to answer this for my decisons but a family member I know that made a small decison that turned big and very soon into the story you will see how
9/11/92 my brother is in college, a bunch of his buddies ask if he we wants to go out to a neighiering school as one of the guys has a gf there that is having a party. He was not in the mood but went. He meets a girl that was down visting from her school. 9 years later that woman convinces her husband to stay home and have breakfast with her as it is the anniv of when they met. He has a meeting but he stays as he loves this woman more than life itself and he can just claim traffic.
That one decison to go to that party on that night, he might have met this girl another night as she and the friend's gf were tight, meant he did not go in early to his job at 2 World Trade and was in NJ listening to CD's in his car wondering how life could get better, rather than at the attacks.
And that man is my brother.
Now what I do for a living effects alot of people at times, but that story of that one small decison I think is more a fitting answer
|
|
Posted by whiteknight
on 2008-08-14 15:09:28
|
|
|
|
|
i think i have made alot of decisions that have altered nany things but i think one big one was deciding to date my last ex. sounds lame i kno but serioulsy. after we broke up it affected my life, his, my parents and his parents because we are all such close friends it made an already bad breakup even worse. thank God thats over with!
|
|
Posted by navybluesky
on 2008-08-14 16:34:16
|
|
|
|
I make decisions every day that impact my children and myself. Without an active interest by their father, I have to think through every decision I make in regards to their welfare, their future, their stability. This wears on me heavily at times... and often leads to the neglect of my own future.
I will have to make another decision soon regarding Finances and how best to keep or sell our family home. I'm pretty sure I want to keep it, which will in turn cause me to go down the re-finance path. Currently it is still in my ex and my name.
Then there is the shitty decision to go back to work full time .... or hold onto one day off a week and less money. Sometimes I just want a crystal ball, because HINDSIGHT is a wonderful thing.
|
|
Posted by EasyToSay
on 2008-08-14 17:53:14
|
|
|
|
STL..Thank you for the kind words. I submit that if we all sat down and listed the choices that changed the course of our lives..they would be long lists indeed.
WK..This is an amazing story. Fate is what brought them together and kept them together that morning. Thank God your brother is still with us.
NBS..No answer is lame. Break ups usually affect more than just the couple. Families join together and become close. I too am glad that is over for you.
E2S..Yes easy..you are making all the choices. Have faith in yourself as you are making your choices out of love. As far as finances..follow your heart and use your head. You and only you, knows what is best for your little family. Oh for that crystal ball.. we could be rich..if we had one.
Thanks for all the cool answers. peace ;) shemelts
|
|
Posted by shemelts
on 2008-08-14 21:57:34
|
|
|
|
The biggest decision I ever made seemed so minor. I was working at a radio station at the time and talking to a friend about the upcoming Christmas party the place I use to work at, and he still worked at, was having. He said the one woman who always organized the parties wasn't going because she didn't have a date. I told him to tell her that I would go with her because I always loved those parties.
I ended up marrying her. Hence my current dilemma.
Shemelts, my heart goes out to you over your neice. That is the kind of heartbreak that nobody should have to face.
|
|
Posted by HungryHeart
on 2008-08-14 23:46:52
|
|
|
|
H.H. Thank you so much for your kind words about my niece, it pains me still. I have been reading your story, and am fascinated. Your current dilemma is your current dilemma because you met her. If you had not met her, you wouldn't have met N. Your life is richer for this happenstance and I am praying that in the end..you will find happiness and things will work out. We don't always control the things that happen to us. Each life choice leads us down a different path, usually down a path we would never have taken..if we had been given the choice. Hang in there my friend. Keep moving forward..things are going to be okay.
peace :) shemelts
|
|
Posted by shemelts
on 2008-08-15 06:11:17
|
|
|
|
|
I can't think of small choice, I keep thinking of the big ones and their affects. I guess one small one is I decide every day what my work team will do and what I assign to each of them. Recently I have learned that I lean on one employee more for one kind of work and he has become great at it but I am learning that I need to develop these skills in my other team members even if it takes coaching and time. So everyday when I assign things I am trying to be conscious of their skill sets so that they can grow or develop their skills.
|
|
Posted by prelude2it
on 2008-08-15 08:09:13
|
|
|
|
I choose to be happy, I choose to be positive, and I choose to find the good in everyday. I'm not naive, this is my life, whatever has been handed to me. and I choose to make it as good as I can. It's my choice to find the good things in each day, or wallow in the negative that is just as surely there. The impact on others?
At least in my household, it makes a world of difference,looking for the positive, vs. finding fault, and blame and sadness.
|
|
Posted by circe
on 2008-08-15 13:01:46
|
|
|
|
|
|
Email This to a Friend 
