THE WINDOW

 

THE WINDOW

From the window the horizon

The freedom of a road I can see

My thoughts fly free in dreams

Far from where I am

I sometimes think how far is that road

can take someone

So many people have already regretted it and I

I will think, I will think

(Roberto Carlos)

How many times do we not get lost in our thoughts, imagining what life would be like if we acted differently? How many times, as a mental exercise, have we not wondered what our life would be like if, instead of acting in one way, we had acted in another, totally opposite way? I believe that everyone, at one time or another in their lives, has had this thought. Perhaps. Anyway, I have. Mainly when things go off the rails and I find myself surrounded by problems, apparently without solution... Of course, after some time and with the problem solved, the thought disappears like water disappearing down the drain. But for a while the idea remains in my mind. I wonder why I acted in such a way and not another... and if I had acted differently, what would be the consequences in my life? Yes, because that is the big question... any different act that we had committed at some point in our past, and probably our current present would not be anything like what we live today... people that we came to know, and that are part of our current life, would probably never be part of our family and personal circle. Worse... if, for some reason, we hadn't crossed paths with the person who is now our other half, our children would not exist...

Yes, I know I'm "traveling on mayonnaise", as they used to say until recently... but it's something to think about. A different step than we had taken in the past, and our present would be nothing like what we are experiencing at the moment... we could be in a better situation... or in a much worse situation. Life is made of choices, that's a fact. At every moment we are deciding what to do in the next moment. Even now when I am writing, when I am expounding my thoughts, the conflict of choice is there. For for every phrase recorded, every word chosen, dozens of other ideas are put aside. Some, even more coherent than those chosen. But which, for some obscure reason, were passed over and are archived somewhere in time and space... speaking like that, it gets a little strange, doesn't it? Yeah, but that's how things work in life... all we do is decide at every moment what we should or shouldn't do in our life...

When we wake up from our restful sleep, of course the first thing we do is open our eyes. It is an automatic action. From there, our choices begin. To lift or not to lift? Getting up, of course... that's not exactly a choice... or is it? Nothing prevents me from lying down all day... except, perhaps, my sense of common sense... well, having got up, done the basic needs of the body and having chosen what clothes to wear during the day that begins... .and look there, we are choosing, again... let's go to the kitchen to prepare breakfast! But do we really have to go? Well, if we want to eat, someone will have to roll up their sleeves and stick their bellies to the stove. For food does not prepare itself. And again we had to make a decision... well, everyone has a full stomach, happy for another day of life that begins... and now we're going to decide who will wash the dishes used in the meal. Decisions, again. Once that issue is resolved, after everyone has gotten ready, each one will go out to fulfill their journey for the day. The children will go to school to prepare themselves to face the world that will unfold before them later. The adults, each one will go their own way in search of their daily bread. And again the choices they will have to make will begin. If they use individual transport, they will choose the best route to follow... and all the attention in the world will be focused on taking care of themselves during the journey, so that they reach their destination without consequences... sometimes, due to a wrong decision, it ends up changing the whole script of the story...don't forget, choices have consequences that can be good or bad, depending on the circumstances... if you decide to use public transport, again the choices will be in front of you. Because I'm going to "take" this bus and not that one, I'm not going to take a full bus, I'm going to wait for an empty one... if I wait for an empty one, I'm going to be late for my job, screw the time, I'm not going to get on a bus crowded, I have to take that bus or I could be hurt at work... have you noticed that the simple act of taking a bus triggers a series of decisions that we have to make? Of course we don't keep thinking about this all the time, most of our actions... our choices... are made automatically, based on previous choices. Because we store all the information that may be useful for our decision making... but it's strange to think that we are being controlled at all times, and the control is internal, it comes from our own intimate...

Yeah, looking at the world through the window is comfortable and practical... it doesn't offer us many risks... unless our decision is to open it and jump through it, to meet life... we risk taking falls and, suddenly change our destinies... the problem is... is it worth it?

It's seven thirty minutes into this beautiful, warm Saturday. I hope your day is as good as yesterday. But there is a forecast of rain for later. And who said that rain is not good? Let him come, and make the plants happy...

Stay with God and see you tomorrow, if He allows it... kisses...