“We all make tough choices…the hard part is to live with them” is a quote from an upcoming movie, “The Words.” When the actor on the screen said them, they hit me like a ton of bricks because of their simple honesty about the lives we all live. Each and every one of us wakes up everyday and makes a tough decision or several tough decisions.

The decisions are usually tougher depending on one’s perspective in life. The decision made by a high school senior on which college to attend might seem small next to the multi-billion dollar decisions made by CEOs on a daily basis but that one decision, where to go to college, will set a string of dominoes falling that sets up careers, future partners, friends and eventual success or failure.

Decisions are tough because they usually mean choosing between one thing or another with completely different outcomes stemming from the decision. We can’t know which one is the better one until it’s “Monday morning quarterback” time and everything always looks clearer at that point. We all have to make tough decisions, but it’s what we do with the result of those decisions, good and bad, that determines our happiness in life and eventual success.

I’ve made tough decisions in life and have lived with each and every one of them. I’ve opened and closed businesses, quit a job, ran for office twice and closed chapters of my life that needed to end. Each decision opened and closed doors but eventually led to the next path of this crazy thing called life.

We all make tough decisions. The next time you are faced with one, use the knowledge you have to determine the best course at that time and then go full steam ahead in that direction. Life isn’t always about making the right decision but making the best out of the consequences of your decisions.

The last bite…

So, I went to Jazz Fest for the first time ever. I served 3,000 cups of strawberry lemonade as a volunteer for Cafe Reconcile. After my shift was over, I decided to try the world famous Jazz Fest Crawfish Bread. To say that I was disappointed would be an understatement. It was good but certainly not the mouth watering bite I was expecting. I give mediocre Jazz Fest Crawfish Bread 2 out of 5 crumbs.

Buddy Boe, a resident of Garyville, owns a public relations and program management company and is well known on the local political (and food) scenes. His column appears Wednesdays in L’Observateur.