Decisions…Decisions…Everyday we are bombarded with decisions; from what to wear, what to eat, or what to do with our day. Heck, sometimes we have to decide what to do from minute to minute and don’t even have the luxury of planning a day. You get the picture…Right?

Well, this week I’ve been making arrangements for my mother’s care and have been inundated with decisions… I had to:

• Decide on a Primary Care Physician
• Decide on a Dentist from a long list of preferred providers
• Decide on which pharmacy to use
• Decide on a provider service
• Decide on a Home Health Agency

I think you get my drift. Some decisions were easy for me and others were extremely difficult. I have no idea how our geriatric population navigates the healthcare system without a medically trained individual to help them. When I tell you it was difficult, I really mean…IT WAS A NIGHTMARE!!!

So as you can imagine, one evening when Richard asked me, “Hey Babe, what’s for dinner?” I just about lost it! My response was, “Please don’t make me decide. My brain hurts!”.

Yep, you guessed it! That man of mine jumped into action and not only decided; HE COOKED!!!

Now, I will say that not all decisions are difficult but everything we do begins with a decision. I recently heard that statement in a podcast and it caused me to pause. The pause…That’s an important component of processing for me. It’s that period of time when what you heard begins to really sink in.

And there it was, my “aha moment”. Oh my gosh…It’s my decision not my husband’s, not my mother’s, not my kid’s or grandkid’s!!! It’s my decision and I get to choose. Not only do I get to choose..I either celebrate or suffer the impact of my decision.

For example, in December of 2023 I made the decision to commit to a low carb/ high protein lifestyle. Now this was not a decision about weight loss but more about feeling better. It was also about mentally and emotionally releasing weight. To use the term weight loss would mean I lost something and I needed to find it but to release the weight was to let it go and not have to find or replace it.

So, committing to a low carb lifestyle was my first decision and since then, I have had to decide daily whether I would continue to honor my initial decision or would I make a different decision.

Either way…I GET to choose. Now you talk about EMPOWERING!!!

For a solid year without fail, daily I honored my decision to follow a low carb lifestyle. As a result, I have released 20 lbs. Some might say, “Only 20lbs?…That’s not much in a year!” Haha, to that I say, lug a 20 pound bag of potatoes everywhere you go and tell me it won’t make you tired!!!

Recently, I decided step out of my low carb lifestyle on 4 different occasions. While I didn’t add to my weight, I did suffer some consequences such as bloating, swelling, brain fog, and malaise. Yep, I chose to:

• Eat what everyone else ate for Christmas
• Eat the pizza that looked, smelled, and tasted delicious
• Eat a piece of homemade Italian Cream Cake to celebrate Richard’s Birthday
• Eat a piece of homemade Chocolate Cream Pie to celebrate Mother’s Birthday

Ok…Ok…Ok..

To be totally transparent Richard and my Mother’s Birthday’s are on the same day…YIKES!!!

As you’re reading this, I am sure you’re asking, “Lee Ann, Why on earth are you sharing all this?”.

Well, here it is in a nutshell…

You get to decide:

• What’s best for your physical body
• What’s best for your emotional wellbeing
• What’s best for your Soul Spiritually
• What people you want to associate with
• What you want to be when you “grow up”
• What kind of legacy you want to leave

My Friend…It All Starts With a Decision and You Get to Decide

PS: I’m writing this post sitting at the kitchen island while staring at the remainder of the Italian Cream Cake and I’ve decided to honor my 1st decision…No Cake for Me!!!