Freedom to Choose

Over this past Memorial Day Weekend, I thought a great deal about the men and women of the armed forces who selflessly give their lives and time in devotion to our country's freedom.

I text one of my military cousins to thank him for his service, and happened to take a look at some of our prior text chains.  One of the things he said to me was "just like the clothes God allows us to choose each day, He also gives us the choice to have a good attitude or a bad attitude."

Those words
got me to thinking about my career.  (It's an odd cross over, I know.) Ultimately I would like my career to be wrapped around the word 'Mogul'.  But for the entertainment part of my lively hood, I've been thinking a lot lately about getting back to what I marginally went into all this for: movies.

Somewhere along the way of pursing a career in film, I fell in love with TV and writing for TV.  I didn't fall out of love with writing films or making films or anything film related.  I just expanded my interests to include TV.  I wonder sometimes, if I should choose to focus on film over TV for the time being.

I've been told on numerous occasions that the writer is KING in television.  [And that's not an inaccurate statement, as MEN overwhelmingly hold the TV writing positions in this industry, but this isn't about that.]  I do enjoy TV, and so much of it is good; it's basically like watching an extended movie.   But is that why I'm so invested in TV right now?  Because it's the 'hot' thing right now?  Or because I genuinely enjoy the idea of writing a character week after week? Or is it because TV has a much quicker process?  I don't know.

But on the weekends, I find a particular solace in going to the actual movie theater and investing a block of time to one story line and a group of characters.   They both have their specific appeals and I'd like to be able to do both.  I choose to do both.  I choose to do a great many things, novels included.  (I will complete my first young adult novel prayerfully by summer's end.)

I see the choices of my peers everyday and how some of those choices are based on fear.  I have a friend who desperately wants to move back to the east coast, and build a career/life there. Her fear of missing out on something on the west coast keeps her here...and often in tears.

My choice is not as life threatening, life affirming or life altering as those of the in the military.  It would be asinine for me to compare my choices to theirs.  I am in the business of giving people a short reprieve from their demanding (or mundane) lives.

I have to remember, just like I have the freedom to choose to wear jeans or a dress, to speak up or keep quiet, to work or to sleep, to have a good attitude or a bad one, that same freedom of choice exists for my career.  Movies or Television?  Not an 'or', simply rather a matter of what I will choose to take priority.

There are a great deal or choices to make here in the coming days, weeks, months.  Stay tuned.

And many, many thanks to the men and women devoted to the military and our country's freedom.