What difference does it make?

“Preconceived notions are locks on the doors of wisdom” - Merry Browne

I’m writhing in regret for mistakes in 2007 (blame is the easiest thing to find), working at forgiving myself for my preconceived notions (to forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was YOU) and looking for the happy surprises in 2008 (the best things in life are not free but priceless).

We all make mistakes. Notice the plural. Sometimes, it’s just not having the gift of prophesy.

No matter how many factors you take into account, the unexpected happens. Sometimes which pick is chosen doesn’t make a hill of beans’ difference. And, it’s often not a bad thing - even when the result is unforeseen.

Looking back on the past year, it seems a goodly number of choices have resulted in surprises.

The good thing is, the way is open for more choices completely unforseen. Simply making the choice and moving on is often more important than the specific option.

In a way, it’s like those folks who opted for the Beta as opposed to the VHS video system. We all had to bite the bullet and switch to the DVD system, anyway. It hardly matters now which tape system was picked. The DVDs are easier to care for, simpler to store and less subject to tracking issues.

And take my ancestor, the highland Scot, for example. Whatever were the reasons why he chose to support Bonnie Prince Charlie against the British, he had the wit and the means to escape to Louisiana in the 1700s. His next error in judgement was to support the British in the American Revolution, resulting in flight with his family to Nova Scotia.

Well, he could have done worse! For the most part, the Kings County branch of the family have managed the damp winters and damper Julys for nine generations now, a settledness the old man couldn’t possibly conceive of, a rootedness he could hardly expect.

Take us: deciding to buy property in town, where most places are in walking distance – church, school, the library, the arena, the pool. The offspring could walk to everything; we wouldn’t be belted in, chauffeuring them hither and yon. Surprise! The next year, Northeast Kings Educational Centre went up and the older boy, as in “old enough to participate in extracurricular activities on his own,” quit hockey and signed on for band and drama. Oh, yeah, we were on the road.

We love it here, anyway. The neighbours are great, we walk a lot of places (very healthful) and everything we need is close at hand, leaving a little extra time for the things that add flavour to life. We realized a few years back we are townies at heart, so the results were unexpected - but they are what we would have chosen had we the gift of prophesy.

Thomas Alva Edison had a useful perspective on this: “I haven’t failed; I just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”