It’s all about the choices we make, isn’t it?  Life is full of them.

Some of our choices have consequences that last a lifetime, or even two or three generations.  My grandparents made choices to work hard and to see that their children got good educations, which gave me a leg up in life that many others have not had.  Other choices can be quite inconsequential, with results that vanish at the end of the week, or even at the close of the day.
When I started this blog, I made the decision to keep a regular schedule.  Some people write only when the mood strikes.  But after some advice from one of my blogging mentors, I decided that a regular schedule would make me a more disciplined writer.  Sometimes it works.  Other times, well, . . . .

For example, I have made a handful of choices this week that have led more or less directly to this topic.  Earlier this week, I made the choice to get to work a little sooner so that I could leave a little earlier as well.  This choice was made to please Mrs. JPC, who would like to see me spending just a teeny bit more time in the gym.  Right after work is a good time, so long as it is early enough that we do not eat our evening meal too late.

When I did have a little free time earlier this week, I started a piece for this blog which was going to be a more serious topic.  I got a good start, then made the choice that I had better turn my attention back to office tasks that, you know, allow me to pay my bills.

A couple of days ago I made the choice to write a piece for Curbside Classic about a car I had been wanting to see in real life for pretty much the entire time I have been into that sort of thing.  It is a 1957 Studebaker Commander, if you must know, notable only because they sold so poorly when new and became invisible so quickly thereafter.  I was excited to find it and I was pushed by the fact that the site has featured several cars from 1957 this week, so I felt a little urgency to join in the theme.

When Mrs. JPC asked if I would like to drive with her to pick up something she had ordered from a department store, I made the choice to go with her.  I enjoy running errands with her, especially when it involves enjoying a beautiful late summer dusk in our little red top-down-roadster.  The circumstances were right and we had a nice drive together.

Then came the most curious choice – The Mrs. was facing a dilemma this evening:  She wanted to run another errand and she wanted to bake a lemon meringue pie.  I actually kind of enjoy baking every now and then, and made the choice to volunteer to take on the pie if she would hit the grocery store.  I’m excited to try out the finished product, because I (we, actually) made the decision to go wild and bake it in a homemade crust made with lard.  Will the crust be as tender and flaky as we have been led to believe?  I’ll get back to you on that.  And maybe those couple of days at the gym weren’t such a bad choice after all.

So, as a result of choices I have made this week, the topic that I had intended to have ready for you isn’t ready.  But on the other hand, I have a very nice looking pie waiting for me for dessert tomorrow.

If you are looking for more to read, you ought to check out the Curbside Classic piece today.  That Studebaker was also the result of choices that were made years earlier, which left the company in dire straits and unable to afford to design and build the new products that everyone knew were needed.  And for those who are already regular CC readers, well, see you next week.