I don’t think of life as a sum of choices. I think of outcomes as a result of each choice. I’m not sure that so called “choices” would have been as wise as what actually happened. We fool ourselves to think that we are making big choices that are going to direct our lives. What’s actually happening is that in every moment small, intimate choices present themselves, depending on conditions that previously arose. And appropriate responses can happen if we’re present. Those appropriate responses come together to be part of a kaleidoscopic pattern that can later on appear to be a huge choice that we made. Actually, the pattern is always changing, and if we look at it with spaciousness, it’s beautiful.
-Gina Sharpe
-Gina Sharpe in “The Beautiful Mind,” an interview by Parabola editor Tracy Cochran, from our Winter 2010 issue, “Beauty.” Purchase the full issue here: http://bitly.com/1AALaS7