The animal world taught me alot about taking chances and making choices this week. In life, many of us only have one chance to do something and a short amount of time to make a choice about it. Chance, by definition is either a probability, an opportunity, a fortuitous situation or a risk. Chances tend to pop up and then dissolve. We all face them in our lives and we all have to make choices around them that can make a small or large impact depending on the circumstance.
This week, I’ll Have Another faced the chance to win the Triple Crown and then another chance of an injury based on a diagnosis of tendonitis. When faced with the choice to proceed and pursue a horseracing dream or pull out to preserve the health of the animal at risk, the trainer made a choice and removed the horse from the Belmont race. I’ll Have Another may have lost his chance to win the Triple Crown but he will have a second chance in life as a healthy, well-paid stud. A smart choice by a caring trainer.
This week I faced a choice with my sweet 14 year old Chance, who went into staggering spasms on Wednesday. Dr Palma at Animal Medical Center gave me the choice of having Chance go under general anesthesia to conduct CAT scans on his brain and face the situation- literally- head on…or do nothing. The risk: Chance may not pull through the anesthesia given his age and condition. The chance: to determine the heart of the problem and a course of treatment.
I made one phone call to the one person whose opinion I could trust in my state of urgency: my mother. She said, “You want to do what you can to help him and you never want to second guess if you didn’t do enough for him.” I believe in taking chances, and I don’t believe in living with regret, and I do not regret the decision to sign the hospital papers to proceed with the procedure. Chance came through the tests and is now curled up peacefully near me at home. His appetite is healthy and energy good. The prognosis is, in the doctor’s words, “grave” but we are able to give him medication to alleviate pressure on his brain.
We all face many chances and choices as we pass through life. Many involve health decisions, life choices, parents and children’s futures and unforseen opportunities and challenges. My feeling is we should never pass up a chance that will enhance our lives or that may not pass by us again. Second chances may be real but they can be rare. And if you have a second chance, seize it!
After undergoing my own health challenge and making choices about surgeries and treatment, I feel as though I have a second chance to rework how I live and manage my well-being. And it has enabled me to make better and wiser choices.
As for you, think about the chances that come your way with this attitude: How will it impact my life and the lives of those who matter to me? Can I live with my choice with confidence and without regret or second guessing my decision?
Leaving a secure job to go out on your own or choosing to start over
Ending a relationship; or facing the chance to rekindle a former romance
Making choices for an aging parent; a dying loved one; or an injured animal
Adding more to your home; or letting it all go
Whatever your chance, your choice is the outcome. A chance is the opportunity; a choice is the difference it will make.
I am happy to have both my Chance and my second chance. And, I am even happier to have the ability and freedom to make and live with my choices.
Neale Donald Walsch
