Use your common sense. You have used all the other senses for years; you’ve heard things, seen things, confronted things, avoided smelly things, felt emotions, and shunned all those bad things that have gotten you this far so far. Common sense is that inner magnet that automatically draws you through the decision making process, that is, the sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts. Voltaire once said “Common sense is not so common.” He was right. Oftentimes, people over-think simple things to such an extent that they miss the obvious. Sometimes this is due to preconceived notions, other times it’s a simple matter of “this question’s too simple. There’s got to be more to it.”

You’ve slept on decisions and woke with the answers while fresh in the morning. You’ve made snap decisions because you had to, now! You’ve dwelt on it, analyzed it, and it worked, but don’t be the one who flies over the cuckoo’s nest, sometimes you can’t fly back.

Of course there is that large magnetosphere of Earth which is a region in space whose shape is determined by the Earth’s internal magnetic field, the solar wind plasma, and the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). That’s a little too big and complicated for this subject and to fit in our body. Here we are talking about that little glow of experience we use to draw on everything we’ve done. A magnet is a body having the property of attracting iron and producing a magnetic field external to itself; specifically … something that attracts. In this case we want to draw on experience; draw on the little light or spark that flashes in our brain at times.

Ah yes, the creams that make you look younger are so inviting; the diets that will make you live forever, and the pill that will allow you to run a marathon and live through it. The ideal and perfect life is just a mouse click or phone call away. Just remember what Mark Twain said, “A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way”. And I guess change is the name of the game. Betterment is the goal. “I want to be a better me,” is the song in your heart; stronger, faster, prettier, younger; more or less without breaking the original mold.

Oh yes, it must be easy to be a senior citizen. You just work all your life, save as much money as you can, then quit work. It’s simple, so we are told. There you have it in a nutshell. It sounds easy. But there are a few other warnings and requirements that must be added to the mix. Being a senior citizen isn’t as easy as it seems on the surface. You can’t just lay back and age. Things must change for the better and for more happiness. There’s where the decision making process kicks in. Just how do you want to gain that peace and happiness, grace in old age, and having a positive impact on others through the way you present yourself? Well, it comes down to setting goals and making positive decisions.

And as unfortunate as it may seem, although you personally are going to be the result of your decisions, the final judge will be those around you. Maybe it would be a good idea to kick around any decisions with a close friend or relative. They might have a different magnet to draw on, and sometimes two magnets are better than one.

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