My son commented that his adult children do not always make good decisions. My response was that my children do not always make good decisions. At age seventy-two, I have had a lot of practice making decisions and I still make bad ones, by my criteria. Life offers multiple paths. Whichever ones we choose, we will always wonder where the others would have led.

Society, culture, geographic location, religion, spirituality, parental expectations, media and education shape our opinions. Innocent at birth, we are taught prejudice. As adults, we judge others, who are not our carbon copies. If our children choose different lifestyles, we blame ourselves for failing at their indoctrination. Each of us is on a personal journey to advance our souls. God gave us free will to learn and grow.

Decisions are not good or bad. They open doors to new experiences. Some of them may teach us never to make that choice again, but others may open our eyes to new possibilities. It takes courage to be a maverick. This world would never have advanced without those who questioned the status quo and thought outside the box.

Be bold. If you make a mistake, by your standards, dust yourself off and try again. Life is a wild ride for those willing to buy a ticket.