Decisions

                                 Have to . . . gasp . . . catch . . . gasp . . . breath.

Her lungs grasped at oxygen, trying to pull in as much as possible, each time failing to gather enough.
Her legs screamed in protest at the torture she was putting them through.
Her mind scurried in all directions at the same time, unsure of which path to follow.

Finally, her eyes took in the scene around her. Boulders, a tree, a ledge . . . water below, angrily rushing forward, hustling around branches and hurdling over rocks.She knew her pursuers must be close behind. Turning around, she could see their matted, gangly figures triumphantly sauntering toward her. Yellowed teeth glinted as lips raised tautly to bare them, while low growls and snarls escaped past them. Their eyes stared her down and she knew these deranged, hunger-driven dogs were in no mood to negotiate.

In front of her, a painful and unpleasant death approached, one step at a time. Behind her, lay the unforgiving embrace of a surging river.

All throughout life we have choices to make. Some choices may be life or death. Others may be chocolate or vanilla ice cream. But why do some decisions seem to stalk us, to snarl in our face? Why do the choices sometimes seem to have no good outcome? How do we get backed into situations from which we can see no escape?

How do we choose, how do we decide, when feel any option will lead to our demise? A raging river, deranged dogs, a perilous jump from a cliff - where is the good? Where is the hope? Where is that light shining at the end of the tunnel, promising a new day, a better day, a day with light devoid of snarling creatures?

Difficult questions. Even more difficult answers. Decisions overwhelm, choices abound, and answers are as clear as the Jordan River. In this moment, I wish I had the answer key to the test on this chapter of life . . .