Look Before You Leap

I heard a story on the radio this morning about a deer that jumped the fence at a zoo. It's activity was caught on cameras as it landed . . . right in the lion's den. Needless to say, the deer was injured so badly it had to be put down.

It got me to thinking about the choices we make in life and how sometimes, even though we think there may be something wonderful on the other side of the fence, the reality isn't always pleasant. I've made a lot of choices in my life that I'm not proud of, but I always seem to work things out and come up still breathing. I guess I've been lucky.

Sometimes we go into a situation only thinking about that one little thing that's held up in front of our eyes that looks so great you've just got to have it, like that used car that is a great deal, or the painter that will paint the entire house for half what the other guys will. You pay the money, drive it off the lot or agree to a color, thinking everything will work out just how you want it to.

I have a friend who paid a lot of money to go to a writer's workshop that lasted a week. The author sponsoring it made all kinds of promises about teaching them the craft, only to disappoint her. She anticipated spending several hours a day having information presented to her, but was given an average of only two. She was then told to go back to her room and given an assignment which she spend all afternoon and evening working on. The next day the author in charge, said he didn't want to see them, it was practice. She felt cheated of the opportunity to glean from this persons experience and knowledge and most certainly robbed of the money she invested in what she thought was going to be the experience of a lifetime. She didn't even know if she'd done the assignment right or if she'd failed miserably.

I've made some choices lately that leave me thinking I should have been a little smarter and done my homework. But now there's little that can be done. Even though I know the road ahead could be a little rocky, I have to believe that it will all work out and those things I've lost in the process will make way for better things that will bring me joy. I guess the best thing to do is try to have a positive attitude, pray for strength and guidance and push through it.

In the meantime, I will take the car to the mechanic before buying it and get references on the painter, along with a million other things I should be doing.