little braveries

There are little things that you never pay attention to in daily life. They are walking to work, or to the store or into wonderous nature. We wander all the time and rarely to we take note of what we are doing.

We begin to pay attention to the little things when the little things become a big task that requires a trace amount of bravery. When does buying milk or going for a walk in the woods require bravery you ask?

The simple things become huge when you are in a foreign country, when you do not speak the language, when you have no idea which way is East, West, up, down, home.

I am in Denmark, in Odense to be specific. Denmark is completely flat with a few hills, there are no landmarks in which to mark your starting or ending point of wanderings. Danish is not a language an American can just pick up and decipher. I would wager a large sum of money on the fact that:
1) most Americans have never heard a Danish word in their life.
2) Most Americans don’t really know where Denmark is.

So here I am, visiting my man, and trying to fit in, which I don’t think will ever happen so I am actually trying more not to stand out like a beacon of foreignness flashing insecurity and timidness.

It takes a little bravery, and acting “as if”. I went to the grocery store called Bilka the other day. I have been here a few times, with Niels, but yesterday I went alone. I can’t stand being totally dependent upon him for every little thing, so I sucked it up and went alone.

I acted as if I knew exactly what I was doing, where I was going and pretended that I too, like any normal Danish person, could read the ingredients on the labels of food. It was awesome! In my mind I kept practicing : undskyld Jeg tale ikke Dansk, which aptly means, sorry I can’t speak Danish.

I didn’t even need to say those words. For 80% of communication is body language, and I found myself surrounded by a people I could actually understand. Moms, friends, lovers, buying milk, bread, not really noting what they were doing.

On my walk home I felt proud, and yes…a little more brave than I did when I woke up that morning.

Today’s adventure…to be decided.

Weapon of Choice

There is nothing worse than missing an opportunity that could have changed your life. There is nothing worse than wondering, “what if.” There is nothing worse than dwelling on the past and fretting about the future; while life cruises right past you. It is easy to lose yourself in the concern of what you haven’t done and what may or may not come to pass, and we are all guilty of doing this.

In my experience when an opportunity presents itself I am immediately faced with a dilemma: I have to make a decision, I have to choose between two things. I say it is a dilemma because unfortunately for me, I am not psychic, I cannot foresee the outcome my choice will create, and so I am instantly in a state of indecision. Oh what to chose? How do I know if I am doing the right thing? Is this good or bad, right or wrong? AAAAAKKKKK what if? What if this works? What if this does not work? What if.

Being in that state of mind is immobilizing and I become so wrapped up in the “what ifs” that I take no action at all…and eventually…lose the opportunity. How awful.

Fortunately as I am gaining years on my life I have become a bit wiser as well. I have learned that what Theodore Roosevelt said is true. He said, “In the moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing you can do is the wrong thing, and the worst thing your can do is nothing.” Regardless of right or wrong, and what if, I must make a choice and stick with it. I’ve learnt that personal responsibility, with a grain of confidence, is a beautiful hidden form of freedom waiting to be unleashed.

I may be stating the obvious but don’t you always feel better after you have made a choice and decided to stick with it? I do. I feel free, free from the mind babble that had been warping my thoughts with their silly ‘what ifs’. I also feel more confidant as the, ‘this might be wrong’ thought slowly slips away to be replaced by the ‘who cares, I am going for it’ thought.

“You are the person who has to decide. Whether you’ll do it or toss it aside; you are the person who makes up your mind. Whether you’ll lead or will linger behind. Whether you’ll try for the goal that’s afar, or just be contented to stay where you are.”- Edgar A. Guest.

The lesson to be learnt is choice. Making a decision with confidence and choosing one instead of another takes practice, it does become easier. Choice is a tool of power when used with confidence…even the tiniest amount, and when you make a choice with confidence and stick to it, those opportunities that require decisions become less daunting. You start to realize that you, yourself, are the cause of life changing occurrences, not the opportunity. That is the beauty, the freedom, and the weapon, of choice.