Tiny Choices Create a Life

Life was, after all made up of tiny choices. Like a pointillist paining, no one dot, no one choice defined it. But together? There emerged a picture. A life.  - Louise Penny, The Grey Wolf

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I love when writing inspiration comes from an unusual source.  Louise Penny writes thrillers full of danger and intrigue. I've read every single one. Thrillers are not normally a source of writing inspiration for me, so when I stumble across an idea while reading one of her books, I am always surprised. In fact, this is only the second time this has happened. The first is a fun article I wrote in 2021 called  I'm "F.I.N.E" - An Alternate Definition. It has become the #2 most read blog of all in the 14 years since I launched Olio by Marilyn, with over 11.7K views.

The Grey Wolf is the 19th book in Penny's Inspector Gamache series.  Early in the book the quote above took hold of my imagination and wouldn't let go, and it has continued to simmer in the background after I finished reading. There is something about the mental image it created that had me saying, "I get it now."  

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Up to this point I have been working with one step, one moment, one breath at a time. This view speaks more to a continual journey guiding us towards a future we are meant to embrace.  While we focus tightly on the moment to keep from getting overwhelmed, if we were to back out to a wider focus the vision would be a long and winding road. To instead focus on tiny choices that are each separate gave me pause.  

I know an artist who worked with pointillism for awhile. We even have one of his paintings. Up close all you see is tons of different color dots of paint.  Take a step back, and it is still a lot of dots but you begin to see patterns.  When you finally view it from a short distance you see the lava flowing down the side of the volcano. I find myself in awe every time. 

What I love about the idea of considering my life choices as tiny separates dots is the possibilities become endless.  Those dots can come together in a multitude of ways to create a multitude of futures. My life's journey is not set in stone. All the little, individual choices I make, singular dots that stand alone, will affect the way my life unfolds. No choices are irrelevant. Each and everyone will add their influence to where my journey might take me.  It's only when they come together as a single voice that we can see the picture, our life, emerge. 

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How inspiring it is to realize what is happening behind the scenes. Our lives are not going ABCDEFG in alphabetic order.  That's not so say it might not unfold that way at times, but there will also be times the letters arrive randomly.  It's confusing and we don't understand their purpose until they all have arrived and begin to coalesce in an amazing and unexpected way. It's magic and it's exciting. 

Make your
daily small choices with intention. Try to create influential single dots that have a touch of the future you crave.  Be patient as you go through the process of growth and change.  Continue adding more dots to the mix along the way Then, when the time feels right, allow yourself to step back and let all those individual choices come together into a unified whole. 

The only thing I would like to add to this is I am not sure my life is a single, one time journey to a predestined place.  I suspect that several times over my life those dots, those individual choices I made, have come together to bring clarity and purpose.  While this seems to be true in my life, I have no idea if it does for others. I have never had one path to follow, a single journey to complete.  Mine has always been full of changes, doors closing, doors opening and new opportunities.  And I love it that way. 

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