Choose Wisely

I recently had a baby and was desperate to lose the pounds that I packed on the last nine months. I looked in the mirror and was mortified. Determined to rid myself of the “Baby Fat” (not to be confused with Kimora Lee’s stylish line of clothing designed for women who have no butt, hips, or thighs) I set off to purchase an elliptical machine to begin my self-help exercise regimen.

My first stop was Do-It-Center. There were several such machines on display, but of course, no one to tell you the benefits of one over the other, or why one costs $500.00 and another only $150.00(aside from their obvious difference in color).

But upon entering As Seen on T.V. (despite the fact that I saw none of these things on Cable Onda) I spotted the tall sleek and intelligent looking model and knew right away that one would bring about the change I needed. That one, symbolized hope. Heck, the machine practically screamed, “Yes You Can!”

There’s something both comforting and exciting about the idea of choosing wisely.

How many people have the potential to suffer because of making bad choices-by that I mean one that was not fully thought out, lacked intellectual vigor, and was based on nothing more than color, or has a name that they recognize? Anyone who voted for the McCain Pailin ticket is who. Not much chance of change there and not much hope either.

Having suffered under a bad presidency for the past eight years I have decided that choosing wisely and getting others to do so was crucial! Though the decision seemed clear, many Americans did not see it as being so black and white (or maybe the problem was that they did). humm…

For the life of me, I could not understand why some seemingly intelligent people would vote for the Republican ticket in this Presidential election, so instead of remaining bewildered, I asked. One person said, " McCain is from Panama, the Canal Zone to be exact.” I quickly crossed the seemingly intelligent part off and replaced it with seemingly asinine.) Another person said, “He was held captive and didn’t forsake his country. He is a true patriot.” Well in that case, can’t we say the same for Noriega?

Others waxed on about his age being equivalent to experience, his running mate being a woman (her ability to think odiously not a factor) and Obama sounding too much like Osama.

After many similar answers I gave up. Needless to say, my inquiry only went to prove that you need to be very careful who you deem as intelligent.

I was surer now than ever before that my decision to vote for “That One,” was sound.

Obama’s victory comes on the heal of many bad decisions; decisions that have altered many lives. Decisions that have lead to foreclosures, soaring unemployment, and an economic recession. Decisions that have turned the American dream into a nightmare (accompanied with cold sweats and high fever).

The elliptical machine reminded me of the sacred importance of making wise choices; choices not based solely on color, or brand recognition. Shouldn't your opportunity for change and hope go deeper than that?

I hope that my elliptical machine gives me the results that I long for and erases all of the bad snack choices that I have made. I also hope that we can all take some time and let ourselves stop, even for a moment, before making decisions, to consider how our choices effect our lives. Are you making choices with depth of knowledge, confidence and judgment, or are your choices just kind of mavericky?