It’s been my belief that you show more about yourself and your character by how you handle adverse or undesirable situations, especially when there appears to be no-win solutions. It is in these moments that are principles, ethics, and what constitutes our moral fiber is challenged. We often define who we are and what we hold most dear by how we respond. Is it our reputation, family, friends, justice, beliefs, dignity, self-worth? Regardless of what we choose, we will try and justify our decisions (rational or not) in an effort to make ourselves feel better.
The last several months, I have been confronted with quite a few of these situations… stacked one on top of another. None of these situations were directly related to one another, but they were all extremely taxing in their own different ways. The one thing in common is that they all affected me in some form or fashion. Quite frankly, the last couple of months have been some of the most challenging times of my life.
To talk about any one of the numerous situations in detail in this forum would be inappropriate and would not achieve anything except to further fan the flames or re-stoke the embers that some have since died down… which is not my intention. To say I’ve spent a great deal of time reflecting on it all is an understatement. In every one of the situations I had to ask myself what I really wanted, what I thought was right, and what I believed. They often did not add up and I was put in the position of having to make difficult choices.
So I made choices, not knowing what the results of these choices would be, but hoping for the best. I know I can’t make everyone happy nor justify my decisions to everyone. But in the end, I’ve had to make choices that I would be able to wake up and look at myself in the mirror and not be ashamed of the person looking back at me. Through this whole process, I’ve learned a lot about myself and what I value. The challenge is always doing what I feel to be the right thing, even if it comes at a personal cost to me… I feel like sometimes it is a reminder that the right decision is often not the easiest, nor the likeliest one most people will take. In the end of it all, I’m the same person I was before. I’m just a bit wiser and maybe a bit more seasoned…
I’m still a deeply caring and passionate human being and for those who have spent any deal of time around me, I hope my actions reiterate this point. At the same time, I’m not perfect. I make mistakes and you might not always like the decisions I make. Sometimes I’m right, sometimes I’m wrong. In the end, I just want to be happy… and I don’t want to ruin anyone else’s chance at happiness to achieve my own.
The choices I have made have come at a cost. Every choice I’ve made has been met with consequences… some of them I have expected, others I have not. It has never been my intent to hurt others are cause anyone else pain. Undoubtedly, it has happened. For that I am sorry. I have had to remind myself that I have been down a similar road before when it comes to making hard choices… and the sun did keep rising in the East. I’m pretty sure it will rise tomorrow.
Final Thoughts on a First Impression 
welcome to the real world……I am very glad that you do and always have given careful thought to things instead of just reacting to the actions. Perhaps that comes from knowing how words often hurt and cannot be taken back once spoken.. I always told all of you to remember that “every choice has a consequence so choose wisely”. Now I give you another one to ponder that you will find apply to many situations you will also encounter in life……”Hurt people hurt people.” I love all of my crew……MAMA
amazing how this says 6:30 and my clock says 1:30