This morning, I had the pleasure of going to the dentist to get my pearly whites picked, prodded, and polished. I was in such a hurry to leave my house, I forgot to grab a respectable form of entertainment to keep me occupied while I waited. Unfortunately, by the time I got to the office, there were five people in front of me, which limited my entertainment choices to "Parent's Magazine," "People en Espanol," and "National Geographic." Yay.
As I flipped through NatGeo, I stumbled on a picture of a woman from an indigenous African tribe whose big smile took up half the page. I wondered to myself what the hell she was so happy about and soon found my answer in the subsequent article. Z* was committed to a man in her tribe that she would marry the next week. After the marriage ceremony, Z would move into her husband's hut, bear him children and raise them, take care of the hut, and continue to make the daily 5 mile trek that she had been making since she was age 6 to get fresh water for the tribe. Her mother, grandmother, and many ancestors before had led the exact same life. Simple. Happy. And not to mention, In Shape.
Now while I can say with absolute certainty that Z's life is definitely not for me (I'm sure I would get kicked out of the tribe in t minus 2 seconds after I told them to get their own damn water), there's something to be said about leading a simple, less option-laden life. I wonder what type of person I would be if I only had a few options for my career paths, friends, spouse, places to live, etc. Would I have the same smile that Z had if I knew what each day held for me?
I mused over this conundrum as I left the office and started to drive home. Just a few blocks from my house, I decided to stop for lunch and quickly found my answer. While Z didn't have to deal with the multiple career options I've had to and kiss all the frogs I kissed, while Z probably wasn't on anti-anxiety medication at the age of 23 like I was nor would she ever had to be, she was utterly fucked when it came to having life's more pleasureable choices. While I pondered over whether to get a burrito bowl at Chipotle or McDonalds #6 Super-Sized with Dr. Pepper, I knew that Z would probably only ever get to eat mystery meat stew. And that, my friends, made me realize the fact that in this option-crazy world, there are some decisions worth making.
Keepin it real,
GenXYZ
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