This I Believe

“It’s your decision. Don’t let others make it for you,” is what my mother always says to me when I have to make a hard decision. It never really occurred to me that my mother might not have said it just to get me to make my own decisions and to stop asking her what to do, but to choose what I wanted and not what others wanted me to do. I suppose my mom meant for me to not let other’s opinions keep me from doing what I really wanted. When I was tubing with my cousin, four years ago, I hit a dock and had a long cut on the back of my leg and could barely walk. I also had a really bad sunburn on the back of my legs, so not only could I not walk, but I couldn’t sit down because it hurt to sit on the sunburn. Even though my family thought I should wait to tube and I was afraid, I did it anyway, because I was not going to let a cut on the back of my leg, or a sunburn, keep me from doing what I liked to do the most. I think doing what you enjoy is very important. If people didn’t do what they liked to do, no one would be happy and everyone would just be miserable. I have trouble saying no to people because I don’t want to be mean, but I don’t like to be told what to do either. When I do something that one of my friends wants me to do, I sometimes don’t get to do what I want, but I always seem to enjoy what my friends wanted me to do. I think people shouldn’t keep others from doing what they enjoy if they want to do what they enjoy too. If I had not gone tubing again that day, I probably would have been miserable and I would have regretted not tubing for a long time. Although my legs were sore, and my leg with the cut was hurting, I still enjoyed tubing and it was my own decision. I think people let the fear of doing something keep them from actually doing it and finding out for themselves if it was something to fear. I tend to let fear keep me from doing many fun looking things. I think if I just did them without that fear, I would have a wonderful time. I have always been afraid to get on any rides, even though they look like a lot of fun and my friends say it was great. One time I actually did go on the rides at a fair, and I enjoyed it so much that I rode them again and again. I think what is most important is to not let anything get in my way, or overcoming the things that do get in my way that keep me from doing the things I will really enjoy.