When I look back at my life, I realise how important the choices are that we make.
Many of you will have heard me talk about Lisa. She was a massive part of my life. I spent 10 years with her when I was a heroin addict. I’d not seen her for about 15 years but had often driven through her estate, hoping to see her, wanting to give her a copy of my book.
I was driving through her estate once. There she was. Imagine that – all those years gone by. I stopped the car.
‘Lisa! Is that you?’
‘Yes, Barry! Do you want to come round for a brew?’
I drove around the corner from the tower-block where we used to live. We got out of the car, and as we were walking towards her flat, she said, ‘It’s great living here; I get my weed from that house over there, and I get my speed from that flat over there.’ We walked into her flat. She showed me around. ‘This is my kitchen; this is my bathroom; this is my bedroom. I’ve got everything I need.’
I think she thought I’d come back.
In the living room she had a photo of our dog, Roxy on the wall, and a big flat-screen TV on another wall. I noticed the ashtray with the cannabis leaf on it.
We chatted about old times. Lisa started to make a joint.
‘Do you remember how I came to visit you in prison?’
‘Yes! Do you remember when I started hearing voices, Lisa?’
‘Yes Barry. I’m not surprised you heard voices; you did stay awake for nine months! Barry, do you remember when we lived in that squat that had a big tree in the living room?’
‘Yes, I do. Lisa, do you remember when we were staying at Teresa and Ben’s, we robbed the meter, and we super glued the lock back together and put a piece of towel in the bottom to make it sound full when you dropped money in?’
Then, changing the subject, I said, ‘Hey Lisa, I’m on a faith journey now, and I’ve written a book.’
‘If you wrote a book, it would be a best seller.’
‘It is a best seller, Lisa; I’ve got some in the car; I’ll give you a copy before I go.’
She lit the joint up. She took some herself, and then she said, ‘Do you want some of this?’ A thought flashed through my mind: If I say yes, then everything that has happened, in the last 17 years since my life changed, will be totally ruined.
‘No.’
Important choice!
Listen, if you want to get on in life and do well, you need to make good choices. Your choices can make you or break you.
How do you go about making choices? Do you stop and think before you act?
How are you going to respond when you’re next asked, ‘Do you want some of this?’
Count the cost of your choice, count the benefits too … and make a good choice!
Barry