Slice of Life: Choices

Today, I'm slicing about choices and decisions.

Each day we are faced with choices for which we make the best decisions. Some decisions are easy to make- which book to read, which books to display, which route to run, walk or drive. Some decisions are harder to make- which event to attend, which person to spend time with, what to write about. 

This week has been one that has offered choices for which I questioned my decisions. How am I to decide which is really the best choice?  It could be that a decision leads to a conversation that I needed to have, or a thing I was supposed to see, or an experience for which I was meant to be present. Who knows what awaits each decision?

It has gotten me thinking about the choices I make each day. Some are imperceptible and some are significant, but most reside between these two - What should I pack for lunch? When will I go to the office to get my mail? When should I refill my water? Who should turn on or off the lights to make the screen easier to read? Which way will I walk to work? Which book will I read first? What can I put off until tomorrow? 

You get the gist.
  
I am okay making decisions when confronted with choices, up to a certain point, a limit which I discovered when we were going through a renovation. By the end of the process I would have paid anyone to make just one or two of the choices that I had to make, "I don't care which light fixture goes in the bathroom or what color plate should go on the light switch, just show me where to turn it on."  I can so clearly remember the sense of feeling overwhelmed.

These thoughts were swirling about in my head as I watched a few students try to make book choices today. A thirty minute library class does not often leave much time for browsing and borrowing, and as much as I talk about and try to encourage good browsing skills, there really isn't the time to explore that many books before choosing one or two. I found myself pushing along a student that was doing exactly what I have asked in browsing. There are students who have a hard time choosing a book because they are not sure what they want to read and some students who really struggle with the weight of this decision. I am feeling a certain kismet with the students I observed having a harder time deciding which books to borrow today, and I am going to think about ways that I can help students with their choices and decisions. I have tried to make the collection more accessible with genre baskets, stickers, book displays, and new signage, but new ideas are needed. 

After exploring a few choices, I'll have some decisions to make....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every Tuesday, Ruth and Stacey, host think it is Slice of Life at their blog, Two Writing Teachers. If you want to participate, you can link up at their Slice of Life Story Post on Tuesdays or you can just head on over there to check out other people's stories. For more information on what a Slice of Life post is about, go here.