It's been a while since I've posted, and I don't want to be one of those people. You know those people - the ones who start a blog, write a few entries, then disappear. Writing in my blog has been on my "to-do" list for the last two weeks. I'm not really sure if it should be something on a to-do list, but it sure reminds me that its there.


These last two weeks it has been wonderful to be home. I have a lot of work to do and I have been stuck behind my computer, but it is nice to get things done. But this is not what my post is about.


Paul and I watched a thunderstorm this weekend. It was one of those incredible storms that starts in Geneva and moves across the lake until it is suddenly upon us with hail and big buckets of water. The sky was banging pots and pans and the clouds were lit up in flashes of forked plasma. But that is not what my post is about either. As I was standing there with Paul, watching the raging storm move closer to us, at first on the porch and then with our noses pressed against the glass as the storm moved closer, I had that strange thought that I get every now and then.


How the heck did I get here?


 I don't mean that in a bad way at all. I mean that in a holy cow I live in a different country, with a different language, and I am an ocean and a continent away from my family and friends. I mean really, how does anyone get where they are in life? What it really comes down to is just a series of choices. We make choices, every day, nearly every moment, about what we want to do. I often forget that little fact. Here are some of the choices I made today: 


What time should I wake up in the morning? (this morning I chose to get up at 8:15) What should I eat for breakfast? (a banana and some cereal) What should I work on first? (week 4 postings for GW) When should I eat lunch? What should I eat? Should I go for a run? Should I spend 10 minutes on Facebook or StumbleUpon? Should I work on LA8 or SS8? Should I watch Harry Potter 7 Part 1, before going to the theatre to watch Part 2? Should I buy candy for the movie? Should we walk home or take the train? (life can be difficult when you are indecisive!)


Do you see what I am getting at here? All of these little choices really add up, but it seems sometimes we ignore them. We have good intentions, but we make lots of little bad choice. Sometimes I am very unproductive because I choose to watch T.V. or use a number of social networking sites instead of doing my work. Sometimes I choose to sleep an extra two hours instead of running, or I stay up too late and I am tired the next day. Why do we make the wrong choice when we know it is wrong? Because RIGHT NOW it feels right. In an hour I will think - why did I just eat that Mars Ice Cream Bar? But right now it tastes absolutely delicious. 


So often people only focus on the big life choices. Don't get me wrong, those also can drastically change your life. Take for example the day I decided to move to Switzerland. I knew I had to travel and get out into the world before I was tied down and owned stuff. So I made the decision, found a job, and ended up here. That set off another chain of choices that eventually led to me meeting Paul, getting married, and in the end, sitting in this chair, typing about choices. I think a lot of people are afraid of making choices. They are afraid of what might be out there in the unknown. They are making the choice to stay in their current life. A current life that they are often unhappy or unsatisfied with. They chose that life over and over again. Every day they choose to live the way they do.


I have a lot of friends that say "I wish I could move to a new place!" Well it was a choice, and it took a lot of effort, but I believe if any of my friends really REALLY wanted it enough they would find a way. One of my friends, Kathleen, has made the choice to move to Denver. I can tell she really wants it. She understands it isn't going to be easy, but most of life isn't easy. I also understand that it is easier said than done. People have student loans, debts, jobs, significant others, blah blah blah. There is always an excuse. (Life is also full of excuses). In the end it all comes down to choice. I'm not saying it is practical for someone with 30K in student debt to pick up and run out of the country. I'm saying that you can search for a job that is based overseas, or travels, or anything. Move somewhere that makes you happy. Find a yoga class. Change your life. There are a million future choices out there. You can't make a choice that you don't know about. So get out there. Find those opportunities, and make those choices. In a few years you might be in Switzerland on your balcony overlooking lake Geneva watching a thunderstorm as it passes overhead. 


Wow I just reread this post and I'm thinking it could be a graduation speech... almost. Time for some sleep :)