decisions

Burgers, Road Maps, and a Coin Toss: Life Lessons from Ken and Jim’s Great Vegas Gamble

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Ken and Jim are driving on the Interstate making good time. The two buddies had been talking about this trip for six months and now it was here. They were heading to Vegas. They planned to spend three days in Vegas and take their wins to California where they’d try to meet some cool surfer girls. They stopped in Kansas City for lunch at a burger joint where they were lured by several road signs that boasted of the biggest burgers west of the Mississippi River. Whoever put the signs up was speaking directly to Ken and Jim. They parked their car, went in and ordered burgers, fries, and milkshakes. They took their food to a booth to discuss a big decision.

Ken: “We got a choice, Jim. We can take I 70 through Kansas, Colorado, and Utah and connect with I-15 into Vegas.”

Jim: “What’s our other choice?”

Ken: “We can take I-35 through Kansas to I-40 in Oklahoma and then take I-40 through Texas and New Mexico and go all the way to Kingman, Arizona, then catch 93 into Vegas. What do you think?”

Ken was driver and navigator. Jim was in charge of music and radio stations and the cooler. It was a combination that worked well for the boys.

Jim: “Best I can remember, Amarillo, Texas, has the 72 ounce steak challenge. You can eat the whole meal including sides, it’s free. I’ve always wanted to try it.”

Ken: “I like i-70 even though we got some big mountains and steep grades to navigate.”

Jim: “Let’s flip a coin. Heads we go your way. Tails my way.”


Ken and Jim? They had their GPS working. You? You’ve got your gut, your values, and hopefully a full tank. Every road leads somewhere—just make sure it’s not a detour you’ll regret. Make good choices and things usually work out. Make poor choices and life can suck. Here’s to good choices. Cheers.

Love, Lizards & Patio Politics: When Dinner Dates Turn Cold-Blooded

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When it comes to picking the perfect dinner spot, humans aren’t the only ones tangled in a web of indecision. Meet Jack and Julie, two lizards locked in a tail-twitching debate over Ray’s backyard buffet. It’s fly vs. flower, mealy bug vs. romance—and things are about to get reptilian.

Going out for lunch or dinner date with a friend or partner is fraught with multiple decisions. Each person has his or her preferences. One has to consider the food, atmosphere, price, inside or outside dining, and what to wear. These few decisions are only scratching the surface. The negotiations can become intense with each side digging in to their positions before the final decision is made.

I think the same issues confront our friends in the animal world. Consider two lizards (male and female) discussing their decision on where to dine. I’ll call the male lizard Jack and the female lizard Julie.

Jack: “Where would you like go tonight?”

Julie: “I don’t know, what do you think?”

Jack: “I like Ray’s patio. I usually can nab a few flies and a spider. I never leave hungry.”

Julie: “We’re always going to Ray’s patio. It’s so boring. I wish he’d update it.”

Jack: “How about the cement slab by the air conditioner?”

Julie: “That will be in the direct sun. And it’s not a good look when my green skin changes to brown.”

Jack: “It doesn’t matter what color your skin, you always look beautiful to me.”

Julie (rolling her eyes): “What about dining by his cactus plants. My skin will be a perfect green and we’ll have a bit of shade from the sun.”

Jack: “I hate the food there. All we get are those mealy bugs. And, I don’t want to deal with fire ants.”

Julie: “I will not go back to Ray’s patio. I’d rather go hungry..”

Jack. “Well I won’t go to the cactus.”

Two minute pause.

Julie: “I have an idea?”

Jack: “What?”

Julie: “Ray has two potted plants just off his patio. I’ll go in the plant with the most green and pretty flowers. You can have the other one, one of his herbs.”

Jack: “Now I know why we got together. You’re beautiful and brainy.”

Julie: “You just might get lucky, you hunk.”

Healthy Tips: My RSVP Was Premature: How to Back Out Without Looking Like a Flake

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You feel stressed. You’re thining, “Why did I RSVP “yes?” Now you’d rather be swallowed by a laundry pile than attend. Fear not—there’s a way to bow out without ghosting or faking food poisoning.

Tip: The graceful truth: “I overcommitted, and I need to take something off my plate.” Honest, kind, and nobody ends up mad (unless you promised to bring cake).

Real-Life Drama You Couldn’t Make Up

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We binge mystery thrillers for the drama, suspense, and shocking endings—but real life? It’s got juicier plot twists, worse decisions, and way fewer commercial breaks. We’ll watch a mystery thriller on our TV wondering how it is going to turn out. The story’s writer’s did a great job in holding us in suspense. We’re not sure what will happen. When we go to bed we may have trouble falling asleep because the ending was exciting and worse, if it didn’t end the way we wanted it to. What we don’t think about is that the mysteries or drama shows we watch are happening all the time all around us. I knew a guy who had been married (notice the past tense) for twenty-five years. He confided in my that he was having an affair. Then he proceeds to tell me with whom he is having an affair. I knew all three people. I didn’t need to read a book to see how this was going to end. Well, he ends up divorcing his wife and he marries the younger woman with whom he was having an affair. He tells me that when he dies both women will be by his bedside each holding one of his hands (talk about narcissism and ego). He did die and no, both women were not holding his hand we he died. Not too much suspense there. The only suspense was how much his first wife was going to get in the divorce settlement. She was the only winner in this story. She unloaded his sorry butt and made him pay.

How Many Decisions Do You Make in a Day?

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I was curious today and asked ChatGPT if there was research on how many decisions the average human being makes in a day. In my mind I estimated about four or five hundred and I thought I was on the high end. It turns out that I was not close. Here’s what ChatGPT reported: “Research suggests that the average person makes about 35,000 decisions per day. This estimate comes from studies on cognitive load and decision-making, which indicate that many of these choices occur unconsciously.” No wonder we feel exhausted at the end of the day. Here’s how researchers determined the number: “The vast majority of our decisions (over 90%) happen automatically or unconsciously. These include minor choices like adjusting our posture, blinking, or deciding whether to check our phone.” I think it’s time for me to head out into nature and take a relaxing walk (oops, another decision).

Create Your Own Path

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How often have you had someone tell you, “You should do this? Or, “You shouldn’t do that?” Did you listen to them? I think it’s wise to ask other people about their insights into problems we face. I don’t think it’s wise to hand over our decision making to them. When we take ownership of our decisions we become the creators of our life. Yes, we may make wrong decisions, in our errors, we learn valuable truths. We also develop a sense of independence that is essential to self confidence. Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote, “To go wrong in one’s own way is better than to go right in someone else’s.”

Reflection: Where Are You Going

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Where are you going? What do you plan to do? Ever ask yourself these questions? When we think about them we can view them simplistically, for example, “I’m going to the supermarket,” or “I’m going to New York.” We can also probe more deeply by expanding each question a bit. Where are you going becomes where are you going with your life.’What do you plan to do becomes what do you plan to do when you get to wherever your going. If we ignore thinking about these questions they default to a preprogrammed answer of nowhere. Human being operate best when they have a goal or clear destination in mind. If you’re inclined to delve a bit deeper to the questions, once you have an answer to them, ask yourself why. Why did I choose this answer? Are there other alternatives? Is there something better I could have chosen? Your life is important. Make choices about your direction that results in you maximizing your potential.

Who Says I Have Follow Sound Advice?

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I had a laugh out loud moment when I read this quote by Lewis Carroll from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking Glass. “She generally gave herself very good advice, (though she very seldom followed it).” I thought it sounded as if Lewis Carroll were talking to me. I am capable of giving great advice (especially for others). I am less than willing to apply it to myself. I’m not sure one has to be logical all the time in his/her decision making. Sometimes it feels right and we decide contrary to the prevailing opinions and advice. There are other times when we have to see for ourselves what will happen if . . .” Fill in whatever you want after the “If.” For me, it’s usually a challenge to the established way of doing things. It certainly has been the source of many adventures.

Don’t Fear – Decide

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“When you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that is in itself a choice.” ― William James

Today’s Thought: Be a Thinker

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One of the greatest gifts we have is the ability to think. We can think about problems and find solutions, We can think about what people say and decide if their being truthful or lying. We can think about lots of stuff. If our thinking is clear and informed by data, we can make better decisions than if we don’t think. Or, much worse, let someone else tell us what to think. Those who think for themselves and make decisions independent of outside influence are free.

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