Conscious Choices

I asked someone for advice once, and she said many things but concluded the matter with, "Make Conscious Choices".

That's been rolling around in my mind for some time since, and it sort of hit me tonight. This wasn't some abstract, out there concept, something to strive for. No, it can be practiced every day. If you're passive about your life, your life passes you by.

I have trouble sleeping. Every night (tonight included!), I have the choice to go to bed on time and go through a proper ritual that is conducive to a quick drift off. I haven't been doing that. Sometimes I don't know when to stop - the vanilla yogurt I made tonight, with bananas, strawberries, lime and walnuts? I didn't have to eat the whole thing. I put it away in a smaller bowl. Reading the Bible over cereal and coffee in the morning sunlight like I used to do? I can choose to do that again rather than zone out to the news like I started doing after moved. I'd had a good habit of starting the day with an exciting, drama-filled action story from the Old Testament! Getting up tomorrow to run sprints before work because I know I need to if I want to be the best referee I can be this summer? Lord willing, it'll happen if I decide to make it happen.

Today is The Day. Everyday can be, one day at a time. I can choose that. If I really want to do right by myself, love myself, and therefore be worth a crap to my neighbor by loving them the same way, I can choose to do it.

So, just to prove a point!, I'm signing off and getting in bed. Who am I kidding? I'm going to listen to the rest of this song first.