The power of choice…

I struggle in winter. This is just a fact. It’s a fact of my life that I’ve been well aware of for many years now. Pre-pandemic, I would deal with some of that struggle by getting out of Toronto – going to visit friends down South.

But this year, that’s not a choice available to me. And that’s hard – just as it’s hard for so many others who would love to be able to go away to seasonal homes, visit friends, take a cruise or go spend some time on a beach in warm sun.

Recently my friend, The Janet, said to me that one of the big lies that those of us in middle-and-upper-class North America have been sold is that we have to LIKE the choices that we have before us. That’s been rattling around in my brain ever since she said it. She said, “we don’t have to LIKE our choices to be empowered by making them.” (I used the example of Jesus going to the cross in a recent sermon – it wasn’t a choice he LIKED, but it was a powerful choice nonetheless.)

I don’t like that I don’t have the choice to go south right now. I don’t like that the choice is either stay cooped in my condo or suit-up, layer-up and get outside for some (FRIGID) fresh air. But I am still empowered every time I make the choice to take the time to do just that.

And so, as the first week of February rolls on, I’m making some choices. Even if they’re not necessarily the choices I LIKE. I’m making the choice to get out for walks. I’m making the choice to go to bed at a reasonable hour. I’m making the choice to invest in my health with good food and regular hydration. I’m making the choice to pray as I walk, because in doing so, I connect to my Creator, and am blessed.

And you know what? Good choices (even if they’re not the ones you WISH you could make), pay dividends.

Just this week, I’ve been graced with some gorgeous views on the Humber River Trail as I mentally kicked my own tail to get out there and get some miles walked. Here are a few, so that they might be a blessing to you, as well: