These are the facts:
- I was on mile 9 of the St. Jude Marathon.
- I was really hungry.
- Some kid had candy in his hand.
- I took it from him.
I am about 60% sure that he was giving candy away but the other 40% of me thinks that it’s entirely possible that he just had candy in his hand and I took it from him. Like I said, I was really hungry.
I don’t do a lot of road races. Road races are very different than trail races. At a trail race, by mile 9 I would have already had a dozen cookies, a few handfuls of M&M’s, a bag of chips, and a pickle; during a road race, you get three ounces of diluted Nuun and a mouthful of lukewarm water.
At the moment of taking the candy cane and two Hershey’s Kisses from the kid, I was 100% certain that he was offering the candy to me. However, after I finished the race and sat down with my customary Dodge’s pizza, I felt that it was possible that I had, in fact, stolen candy from a kid who was standing on the side of the road (which, unfortunately, is far from the worst thing that I have ever done.)
The point is that as my circumstances changed, so did my recollection of the event. My perception of things is largely based on my current situation. When I am angry, I look for problems; when I am lonely, I look for pity; when I am when sad, I look for gloom; when I am happy, I look for optimism; when I am healthy, I look for gratitude.
I have very little control in my life but I often have a choice as to what environment I place myself, which has a lot to do with circumstances that involve situations, which have a great deal to do with perception.
The choice is mine.
Peace, Love, and all things Beef related,
Beefcake