The Art Of Decision Making

Sometimes when I think about the art of decision making these two clips from Field Of Dreams come to mind but if you are a long time reader you already know that.

You know that quote about the most significant moments of our lives, it sticks with me and has for years because I have experienced it.

Made some choices that sometimes float to the surface of my mind asking me to think hard about why I did or didn’t do certain things. Most of the time I am good at pushing them down because I can’t go back, but every now and then I feel the ache.

It is the kind of thing that haunts a person and it’s why I have made other choices and taken other steps because I need answers to some questions and I don’t know if I can rest without them.

But those clips don’t always make me think of the very serious life changing moments, they remind me of others in which you cannot say for certain what the best option is.

You just have to make a choice.

The Chaos Of Car Shopping

This past weekend we sat a car dealer for 987 hours and worked out a deal that would have provided two new cars. I felt good about it as I had done plenty of homework and had a situation that looked promising.

At the last minute we opted not to get both cars at once, primarily because it seemed like we could avoid having two car payments at once.

Figured we could go another three or four months without having to do something and then life threw a curve ball today

Took the 16 year-old minivan to get the tires rotated and discovered a need for four new tires. Wasn’t entirely surprised as the suspension is shot and it has been a little while since the last alignment.

But I had thought it would be possible to get away with no significant repairs for a few more months, but I was wrong.

I am not going to put new tires on this car nor invest any other money in it.

Called the dealer and asked if they would honor the deal for the second vehicle and they said yes, so unless something dramatic happens in a couple of days I’ll have two car payments again for the first time in twenty years or something like that.

There are worst things and I have been through them so I am confident in saying that. It is not a life long commitment here and ideally I won’t discover another auto related curve ball for years to come, but I won’t put money on it.

Things happen, but if you can plan for them sometimes they are less painful than they would be.

Sometimes

If you encounter a cougar in the wild sometimes you run from them and sometimes they run from you.

Sometimes you open your arms wide and dare them step inside your embrace and be nuzzled. Again I can tell you I have been the cougar whisperer and have tamed one but that is a story you can’t Johnny and June your way through.

Such tales aren’t sung by mere mortals or shared in family blog posts, believe you me.

That is a funny expression, “believe you me.”

Not sure what it is about it, but sometimes I have to say it out loud because reading it doesn’t feel right. Something about the flow.

Hell if I know for certain ‘cuz I have that funny and familiar ache.

****

My baby girl who isn’t such a baby asked me again today if I know much about Cleveland because she is thinking about applying to Case Western. I told her if she can get in I can get all the information we need about the city and that she better be good with snow.

We talked about U.T., UCLA and a few other places and I shook my head thinking about how fast time has moved because it seems impossible that she is going to be a high school senior.

Yesterday I was always the young guy at the office, the one with little kids who listened to the old guys bitch about colleges and weddings.

And now I am not the young guy anymore, certainly not the oldest but definitely not the youngest by a longshot.

Talked to my daughter a bit about not being afraid to apply for schools she thinks might be a stretch to get into, assuming she really wants to go.

I’m willing to put some time and money into applications and fees. Don’t want to go hog wild with it, but you can’t get in where you don’t apply.

This art of decision making is something else I tell you.