Awakening to wonder

You are your choices. Seneca

On Wednesday afternoon at Choices, when trainees walk into the room, they are fearful, curious, awkward, reluctant... Every emotion is visible upon their faces and in their gestures. Their smiles are weak, their eyes wary as they cautiously take their seats amongst a group of 90+ strangers. They believe they are alone and cannot see they are surrounded by people just as afraid as they are and just as unwilling to admit it.

Each person in that room has come to the training with a desire to fix something; them self and their life, or someone else and their life. Sometimes, people come into the room believing there's nothing wrong with them, but because someone they love asked them to come, they came. Sometimes, they resent the person who sent them, sometimes, they accept the love that person extended and sit willingly in their seat, curious about what's next to come, but not really believing there's anything in it that will affect them.

It is impossible to walk out of a Choices training room without being affected, by someone or something that happened in the room. It doesn't matter what perspective someone brings with them, they always leave with more information, more insight, more knowledge about themselves and how they play this game called life.

It doesn't matter how high they rate the happiness in their life, or how deep they name their despair, they always leave with a sense of hope, a sense of possibility that more is possible in their human condition.

It is the power of Choices.

Our lives are filled with choices. We make them every moment. Sometimes our choices are as devastating as to live or die. To eat or starve. To kill or be killed. To love or hate.

Sometimes, they are as simple as to walk or run. To stand or sit. To speak or stay silent. We make choices about what to wear; the gold dress or the blue shirt. The orange tie or the green sweater. We make choices about when to fill up with gas; when the tank is half full or half empty. We choose how we're going to greet the day; with a smile or a groan. And, we choose how we're going to live our lives; with passion or in despair.

Our world is filled with choices and at Choices, each of us is given the opportunity to reflect upon the choices we've made to date and decide -- will I continue to tear myself down or will I choose to build myself up? Will I continue to lash out in anger at everything in my world, or embrace everyone with love? Will I keep holding onto the past or grab onto the possibility of a new tomorrow?

Last night we reached the midway point in the five days of the training. As each person has moved through the processes, listened to the lectures, frozen minds have begun to warm up to possibility. Broken hearts have begun to open up to healing and wounded spirits have begun to unfurl their wings. Anger has ebbed, pain has eased as each individual has begun to awaken to their human condition.

We have the power to change the choices we've made, choices that keep us stuck in living lives of desperation, or pain, or fear and sadness.

We have the power to live the lives of our dreams and in the Choices room, energy is flowing. I can feel it. It is alive. It is life giving. It is contagious. It lights up smiles, it opens eyes in wonder. It creates possibility where hope was lost.

I am blessed. On Wednesday, I stood in a room full of strangers, their minds closed to wonder, their hearts filled with fear. Last night, I stood in a circle of human beings awakening to the wonder of their human condition as they claimed the miracle of their lives.