Scylla or Charybdis?

 I did a lot of skiing as a child. Every winter I followed my family up the mountain, and chased them back down.  Being the youngest and smallest, I often found myself at the top of a hill I wasn't quite ready for. Sometimes I'd refuse to do it, and we'd find an alternative. However, a startling number of times, I wound up debating my descent, while the rest of my family slipped right on down.  In these moments, I'd try to be brave and tackle the hill head on. 
That never lasted long.  I'd make a couple of really pathetic turns; get myself just far enough down that I couldn't go back up. Then I did what any logical human being would...

I froze. Bent over my pie-pointed tips like a gaper, I'd start to quiver. In most instances, my mother was near by.  She'd try to coax or encourage me, but it wouldn't work.  My early on-set neuroses had taken over.  This was it. The end was near. I was glued to those hills, and in my mind there was no successful way out.

After awhile, my dad would defy convention, and climb back up to me.  We'd find ourselves across from one another, my exceptionally small stature frozen in an awkward attempt to remain upright, and my dad casually resting with his poles propped under his armpits. Then he'd do what my father always did when I became emotional. He'd reason with me. He'd apply exaggerated logic to pull things into perspective and illustrate the simplicity of the situation. The most memorable and representative of these pep-talks went something like this:

"The way I see it you have two choices. You can stay up here forever.  It won't be very comfortable, and it's probably going to get really cold.  But, I guess we might be able to get someone to bring you food every now and then.  I'm not quite sure what you'll do about going to the bathroom though...  OR you can come with me, and we'll ski down to the bottom."

Oh! Of course! It was SO clear. How did I not see it before?!

There's no reason why a speech like that should ever convince a little girl to do something she didn't want to do! But here I am, miraculously not a mountainside resident. I was presented with choices. I weighed my options, and I rejected the one with the least desirable outcome.

If you think about it, this is really what life is all about. It's a series of choices. Some days you'll be picking between bunny runs and a green circles. Other times it will be a rope-tow or blue square afternoon. But, you will also have days that aren't so great.  Days when the snow snakes are abundant, the hills are steep, and the choices seem low.

When this happens you will try to get through it. You'll slow down to think through every turn. But regardless of your preparations, the storm clouds will gather, and fog-up your goggles. Before you know it you will be caught between a double black diamond and a "no way out" sign.

You will feel like you're out of options, but remember that you're not. Despite how it may seem, there is always a choice to make.