50+ Lifestyles

PUBLISHER’S CORNER

By Eloise Graham

You are Free to Choose… but …

Yes, we are free to choose anything we want, but we are not free from the consequences. There are always consequences! Our society seems to have forgotten that one must be responsible for one’s actions and act accordingly.

Think about the choices we make daily, the freedom of those choices but also the consequences. Being retired, one often has the option to sleep in. You are free to choose that, but what are the consequences? Maybe not having that hour of quiet time just listening to the birds sing, or missing a spectacular sunrise, or meeting with friends for early morning coffee. None of these are of earthshaking importance, but they are a trade-off for choosing to sleep in. Free to choose, but there is a consequence.

How many of you were parents of youngsters in the ‘70s? I was. And I chose to go barefoot as often as I could. Sometimes I paid for that choice. Remember avocado green shag carpet? And children that ate their cereal while watching TV? Well, I would opt to walk across the room barefoot, but not always a good choice. Dried rice crispy cereal became like a razor-sharp coral reef, often concealing marbles, jacks, and tinker toys. The Fisher-Price barnyard had many small animals and a picket fence that often became buried in the shag. I was free to choose, but had to live with the consequence.

Yes, we are free to choose. We can choose to run a red light, but at what consequence? Maybe getting a ticket, being T-boned or worse. One is free to call in sick when really aren’t, but at what price? A nagging feeling of guilt, having pay docked, or maybe even being fired.

Think about all of the choices we all make daily that always have consequences. We may choose to eat that second piece of pie, but then we need to spend extra time working out to not have the consequence of weight gain. Was it worth it? We might choose to sit out on the patio reading a good book, but didn’t use sunscreen. The consequence, a sunburn. All of our choices result in some sort of end action or reaction.

Somehow, we need to convey to our children, grandchildren and others that freedom to choose comes with consequences. They need to  embrace ownership, responsibility and show maturity.

• Accept responsibility for your choices
• Be accountable for your choices
• Take ownership for your choices
• There are always consequences