Thoughts... choices.

I had an English teacher in high school, cannot for the life of me remember his name, that had us spend two class periods on the first sentence of a book. He was absolutely convinced that the author spent just as long deciding that first sentence, making it perfect, with every word carefully chosen. While I think that is a bit over-the-top, I think he may have been one of the first to really push me to find the deeper meaning in things.

It's almost an annoying habit I have, seeing everyday things and trying to find how they can be used in a metaphor. If you've ever watched a movie, or been out on a rainy/sunny day with me you've probably heard me mention the term "pathetic fallacy." The term describes a time when an inanimate objects are personified. I usually talk about this when there is a sad scene in a movie and it is raining. These are the types of things I am CONSTANTLY thinking about.

Sometimes I feel as though these thoughts are just silly, maybe it's just an exercise to keep my brain sharp, but sometimes my tender heart really pays attention to what I find. I have always believed that an interpretation is subjective, and what someone sees stems from how they are feeling or where they are in their life.

Every day when 5:30 strikes, I clock out, but I don't leave Minute Maid. I have turned the stadium into a personal gym (I'm on an intern salary... using my resources). I run the concourse (three laps is a mile), I run the stairs (I routinely conquer sections 100-156, which you can see here), I do lunges, squats and abs in and around the press box. More than just working my body, however, this is one of the best times for me to think. I think about work, school, friends, softball, future, past, how the recycle bins around the stadium look like people at a distance, and even about all the history I'm reading as I'm running.

Then, the other day I saw this sign:

Many people might just see it as a sign, but it immediately hit me as a choice. I can either work hard and move up, or I can get out. It's simple. Even as I went back to take this picture, I noticed that "exit" is written twice. It's easier just to get out, give up, walk out the doors and move on... but what I really want is "up."

Why did I notice this sign? There's a difference between seeing something and looking at it. Your mind registers crazy numbers of things every day, so why did this stick for me?

Maybe I saw this sign, because I needed to be reminded that there is a choice, and that one will seem easier than the other most of the time. All the signs may be pointing towards that easy route, but I need to figure out what I want.

I want to work "up."