Choices

My mother and I went to Little Rock, Arkansas, this weekend. One of the things we did while we were there was to go to Little Rock Central High School. My parents both graduated from there in 1949 (but didn’t meet until college; it was a pretty big school) and my husband’s father was a member of the 101st Airborne who was sent there to enforce desegregation in 1957. Without realizing it until we arrived, we were there on the 53th anniversary of the day the Little Rock Nine were escorted into the school.


The State of Arkansas has built a museum and visitor’s center kitty-corner across the street. If you ever get a chance you should go. It doesn’t take long to go through it but it is so moving and so important to remember.

We take so much for granted. Of course I’m allowed to go to school wherever I want! Of course I’m allowed to worship however I want! Of course I can vote for whoever I want for a leader! But we should never forget what others went through before us so that we have those rights.

Those rights are the big ones. But it got me thinking about the other things we take for granted. You get one body. That’s it. You can fill it with junk food and sit it on the couch while you watch “Biggest Loser” or you can make the choice to eat right and get moving.

Once early on when I started losing weight, I came home late after a long, stressful day at work. A big wreck had slowed down my commute even more. By the time I got home I was crabby and starving. I did not want to take the time to prepare the healthful dinner I knew I should have. I wanted junk food. My husband said, “You can have whatever you want. It is up to you.” He wasn’t judging me or trying to make me feel bad. He was just stating a fact. And that has stuck with me all this time. Nobody else was going to make me eat right. Nobody else was going to make me exercise.

It is entirely up to you. What are you going to do?