This I Believe

My Creative Non-Fiction class has been reading the book This I Believe, which is a collection of short essays (less than 500 words) from various people of differing backgrounds all stating what they believe. The beliefs in question are supposed to be the very core beliefs of the people writing. So throughout my time reading these essays I have been thinking, "What do I believe?" Today it came to me. I believe in choices.

Choices are often overlooked, I think, because we are forced to make so many so often. What to wear, what to eat, what to drink, who to call, what to say. Do I get on Facebook and update my status or do my homework instead? What should I write my paper about for class? Which college should I attend? What should I major in? Grad school or no grad school? Should I try out for the tennis team? All of these are choices that are so common in our lives that we may not even think of them as important or life altering, but they are.

Every choice I have made has effected my life in some way. I remember the summer of 2009. I had just gotten back from a graduation weekend trip to Philadelphia and had gone to my boyfriend Derek's house for the evening to visit him and his family. Derek is an avid freestyle motocross rider and had been trying for nearly a year to get me to ride with him. I, being terrified of everything, (especially high speeds with no roll cage), so I had previously refused. May 14, 2009, however, I agreed to ride on the back. As we rode I began to feel free. I made the choice to ride and to enjoy myself with no reservations. After awhile we took a break and I made the choice to ask if he would teach me to actually drive the bike. He agreed, and I chose to get on. That choice is one that is still having a huge impact on my life. I crashed the bike that day, and I tore my ACL and MCL, and chipped a piece of bone off of my kneecap. Not what I was expecting, obviously. The choices we make, even the small ones that don't really seem like choices at the time, can have an enourmous impact on our lives-- in both good and bad ways.

So I believe in choices. The choice we make every morning to have a positive attitude or a negative one. The choice we make in deciding what we believe. The choice we make when we consider who to speak with or what to say to each person we encounter in our day. Communication is a choice. Life is a choice. Writing is a choice. Without choices there is no freedom and no life. This, I believe.