In my younger years, I would make hundreds, if not thousands of decisions in a single day. As a teacher, I made dozens of decisions in a single morning. Should we open the windows or keep them closed, does John really have to use the bathroom or does he just want to get out of class for a while, should I allow John and Ben, good friends, to sit together or will they be disruptive? The list goes on and on. Someone once did a study of how many decisions a teacher makes in a single day, and it was hundreds.
We built two houses, and I can tell you the number of decisions (big decisions) involved, were numerous and constant. I used to rush home from my teaching job to go to the site of the home we were building in Brentwood before all the workers left for the day. I would have decisions to make all afternoon regarding windows, hardware, plumbing, permits, etc. Yes, we had a wonderful contractor, but in the end, the owners have decisions to make.
Everything we do requires so many decisions, and you get to a point in your life where you just don't want to make so many decisions. I was on a mini trip to LA with family and friends, and we were so happy one person in our group had taken charged, made all the plans. All we had to do was show up.
We talked about earlier in life, we were always the planner, always the decision maker. My research says that people in the 50's are the best decision makers. What I find is that I still make good decisions, but I don't make them quickly, the way I used to,
As I said earlier, I used to make so many decisions that I couldn't fret over everyone. Now I make far few decisions, but I find they take me a long time. For example, I need a new shower curtain. I have been looking at shower curtains on line for several days, and still haven't made a decision. What's wrong with me? It's just a shower curtain!! In years gone by, I would have decided on what to buy in less than 10 minutes.
As older adults, we have more life experience to draw on when making important decisions, but let's face it, making decisions that involve multiple issues is more daunting as we age. Most importantly, we need to keep physically and mentally fit and sharp so we are still able to make decisions. It may take a little longer, but so what?
I kind of like letting someone else take over the planning of trips, restaurant choices, movies and the like. I've done it all my life. Now it's someone elses turn.
I just thought of something. I am going to try to count the number of decisions I make in a single morning. I will report back on this. Any guesses? I'm going to guess 300 decision before noon.
No comments:
Post a Comment