Choice occurs in an instant. We may agonize over possibilities for years. But when clear choice occurs, actions follow immediately and results start changing.

A friend who was a drug and alcohol abuser has been in recovery over six years.  For thirty years prior to that he had been a street bum living in boxes on hot air gratings, begging or stealing food, in and out of jail frequently, working odd jobs long enough to earn money to feed his habits.  One day I asked what caused him to change so dramatically and suddenly.  He answered instantly:  "When I was 16 in high school, I was already on drugs.   My mother told me that when I got tired of living that way, there were other choices I could make.  I lived in the streets for decades.  Every time I saw her, she reminded me that I could make a new choice.  One morning when I woke up with a broken arm and an terrible hangover, I remembered what she has said for so many years and decided I didn't want to live that way any more.  That morning I choose to change my life."

And he has acted decisively on his new choice.  Today, he has a job that requires a Certified Driving License (CDL).  One requirement to maintain the license is a random drug test at least once every six months.  He said the other drivers hate the test, but he enjoys it.  When the test is over and he gets the results, he jumps with joy and shouts: "Yes, I did it! Clean and sober again!"

He is discovering life's joys like a child, having experiences that most of us had as teenagers even though he is over fifty years old.  Things that are old to me, things that I take for granted, are exciting and new for him.  He has taught me two valuable and lasting lessons.  First, the little things in life are really the biggest joys.  And second, no matter what we have done in the past or how long we persisted in doing it, we can make an entirely new choice today.  Those new choices give us the awesome power to change the fundamental direction of our lives whenever we choose.