Life is Full of Choices

Yesterday, while driving back from Austin, I stopped in Waco for lunch. If you're ever on I-35 and driving through Waco, you know there are numerous restaurants along the highway.

I had plenty of choices. Burgers. Italian. Sandwiches. More burgers. However, I had a hankerin' for some Mexican.

So I pulled into Taco Cabana. As I did, I noticed a bus was parked nearby. In fact, coming out of the bus were a bunch of soldiers dressed in their desert camo. They were all going into the various "fast food" restaurants that dotted the area.

Inside, after I ordered my food and sat down, some of the soldiers sat at a table near me. They seemed full of life... chatting, laughing, and even having some serious conversations.

As I watched them, it hit me. They were all about 19 years old and their life was before them. Remember when you were 19? Fresh out of high school and you've made your first major decision of what your next phase of "life" would be.

For me, it was college. In fact, it struck me that we were eating just a few hundred feet from the decision I made - attend Baylor University and earn a degree. Actually, even within the confines of my college years, I had to make numerous decisions that would shape and form the life I lead today.

I know where these soldiers were from... Fort Hood. And later, they boarded the bus and it headed north. I'm pretty sure they were headed to DFW Airport... and onward to places none of us want to go.

These kids... seriously... they're just kids... have their entire life before them. But, when you think about it, they're in the Army to protect our freedom so that we can continue to make choices each and every day.

Amazing.

Think about that the next time you have a choice to make. And if you really want to go deep, think back to all of the choices/decisions you've made in your life to become who you are today... and just know, it's just a part of life.

We will have thousands of decisions to make in our lifetime... let's just hope we have the wisdom to make the right decisions.