I Am a Woman of Action

by Nikki McBride Spencer

I am a woman of action. I tend to make snap decisions. I've had some spectacular successes with my decisions, and some colossal failures. My friend, on the other hand, can't make a decision to save her life. She tends to ponder, discuss, and mull things over until the problem is worn smooth, like a thousand-year-old river stone.

Sometimes I conspiratorially lean to my husband's ear and whisper, "She can't make a decision to save her life. I can't stand it." He nods, and whispers back at me, "Well you don't have to live with her. Just enjoy her as your friend and know you will be agonizing over will you be going to Taco Bell or In-n-Out today." I nod back and go hug my friend, who is truly a delightful person...if only she wouldn't devote so much brain power to the mundane.

Recently I have been struggling with a fork in the road decision. Which road should I take?

I've tried to make my usual snap decision. Tried and utterly failed.

Perhaps I should take a clue from my thoughtful friend. I should take my time with this decision, let it sit in my mouth like the scrumptious caramel candy it is, melting on my tongue and making the hollows of my cheeks pucker with the sweetness. I should allow the richness of the decision coat my taste buds and let it slowly dissolve away, taking its own sweet time, feeding me information that only patience will reveal. Then and only then will I be able to really see the big picture.

But oh how I want to crunch that candy!