Assignment 19- Shelby Amato

When I auditioned for a play once and was discussing the possibility of missing school in order to perform in it my dad told me "not to count my chickens before they hatch". This piece of advice seems to stick with me because I have now based most of my decisions and life around a mercurial centerpiece of "nothing is guaranteed".  If everything is treated as unsure, impermanent, or not necessarily certain then your ability to stay flexible and prepared is greatly expanded. I make quick decisions but I am frequently indecisive- not to say that I am a hypocrite but that I believe that changing your mind is okay and even if I say definitely I mean most likely. Definitely until it isn't- in which case not at all. I like to make plans for my life and work with every ounce in me towards that goal but I feel no shame in changing that goal by 180 degrees and working just as hard towards the second one. Life changes constantly, nothing is inevitable, nothing is guaranteed, and counting chickens is wasting time. Because of this I regret little. My dad's advice has had the effect of not just preparing me for uncertainty but causing me to embrace, enjoy, and encourage it. So, when an egg does not hatch, I've never wasted my time feeling sad about a miscalculation of chickens.