Sunday, April 27, 2008

Some Questions about the Choices I Didn't Make

There was a question about what I meant by "The Choices I Didn't Make." My feeling is that if one person has a question, probably someone else has it as well but just didn't ask. So here goes:

The idea behind this prompt is to think about your forks in the road. Did you not marry the person you first thought you would marry? Did you have a specific thought about your career when you were in High School that just didn't happen? It's not meant to be a big downer, but rather an affirmation of the choices you did make. And a specific list of the things that at one time were on your smorgasbord of life.

In my book I have these ideas:
  1. I didn't marry my high school boyfriend. We dated a long time, and talked about it some--it was always something that I felt hung in the air around us. We stayed in touch for a few years after high school (We wrote regularly during our first year of college at different schools, and for two more years while he served a church mission in South Korea, but didn't end up together. When he came home from his mission, I had just started dating my husband. I could have pursued that relationship when he got back to the states, but I didn't. That for me was a choice I Didn't make.
  2. I didn't pursue a career singing on Broadway or in Opera. At one time, I really wanted this. I wanted to have a family more. Another choice I Didn't Make.
  3. In High School, I had decided that I was going to become a Research Scientist in the field of Genetics. After finishing my B.S in Biology w/a genetics emphasis, and working in a couple of on-campus Genetics Research Labs as a lab grunt, I realized that was not the life for me. This was another choice I Didn't Make.

I also wrote that I wished I had traveled more when I was single, and given myself a chance to study abroad or something like that, and that I'd wished I'd avoided all the credit cards that are thrown at college students.

Does that help? Please leave me a comment and let me know.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Dianne!
I think we all have choices we didn't choose in our past and we might wonder 'what if...,'. One of my choices was to get married and start a family and give up my dream of being a teacher. By the time I could've gone back to finish my degree I decided against it because I would've have gotten enough years in for a decent retirement benefits. Some days I regret that but most of the time I'm happy with the job that I have now. Sue

Jen said...

Thanks Dianne. Your response gave me some more to think about and cleared it up for me. In my situation, I just don't have a ton of "didn't make" choices so I wasn't sure where to go with it. I'm single, no kids, chose a career that I'm now changing by getting a second degree, etc. So I guess I needed to broaden my thoughts and think outside the usual choices. Thanks!

Krystal L. said...

Hi girl,
While I'm not doing your project, I like the idea of Choices I Didn't Make. I think I'm going to make that the title for a layout in the Book of Me. I have made so many mistakes in my life and continue to make more but I have made some good ones too and I think this idea might help shed some light on who I am, the good the bad and the UGLY, lol.
Krystal