Most of my life, I like many, have wanted to grow up, be on my own, make my own money and make my own decisions. Out of the four things listed, the first three have proven to be “interesting”. The last, well, let’s just say if I could find a word more interesting than interesting that would describe my entanglement with the decision-making process.

Why is it no one told me that growing up would present a daily challenge with one constant feature being the mandatory command to make my own decisions, which, in light of what life has taught me, often is a tough decision to make? There’s not much like the thought of having choices, being responsible for those choices, making sure you’ve heeded the voice of God, listening to the sound of wisdom, learning from the experiences of the past and accepting the repercussions one way or another to make a girl like me wish she were actually a girl instead of a fully-maturing woman.

The thing about growing up is that I didn’t know it would be sprinkled with more tough choices than the rainbow-colored, Funfetti candies on a home-baked cupcake. It seems like decisions run amuck in the life of a grown up.  From what job to take, what school to attend, how to rear children, who to date, who to marry, whether to stay, whether to go, whether to come back or stay put, how to save, where to give, whether to eat lunch at Whole Foods or Leonard’s Page 1 in Birmingham, AL (I chose Whole Foods, at least today) and every other imaginable and unimaginable decision in between tough choices are called tough for a reason. Tough decisions can be tough, but they are necessary. Tough decisions can be scary, but they are a required process of life. Tough decisions can seem unfair, but they can be very meaningful. Tough decisions can seem to come out of nowhere, but they are often strategically designed for something far greater than meets the eye at the time. Tough decisions can cause one to question his/her sanity, faith, purpose and poise, but, when made wisely they can propel us to exactly the place we were supposed to be. That is, until we grow up some more and another tough choice causes us to be launched even further.

@AngelaMMoore316