But before I could even finish following that train of thought in that familiar “Mara” tone of voice, I felt the cold metal tip of a gun against my temple. And the last thought I had was, “That’s not his dick he just pulled out of his pants. That’s a gun.”
And then, the world went silent…
…And then, a thought came through. I felt a wave of fear wash over him (or us?), and I opened my mouth to speak the only words I would say to him during the entire experience. I said, “You’re scared, and that’s OK.” I do not remember if I spoke the words in English or Spanish, nor do I know if I spoke them out loud or just “energetically”
An excerpt from the book One Thought Changes Everything by Mara Gleason, Co-Founder of One Solution.
Before Mara had that thought come through, she continued on to describe her experience as unimaginable silence in her head. She experienced a whole new world beyond the thoughts in her head.
Then, that one thought came, seemingly out of nowhere. Before deciding to put those words to use, she had to make a choice of whether she was going to speak or not.
The Point…
Many people act as though they don’t have a choice, even when they don’t have a gun to their head, even when their life isn’t literally on the line.
You can choose to speak or be silent. If you do choose to speak, you can choose what you want to say and how you want to say it. If you choose not to speak, you can choose to do nothing or do something.
The very act of contemplating what you would do if you had a gun to your head represents that you do, in fact, have a choice.
So, the next time you find yourself wanting to use those infamous words “I don’t have a choice”, think again.
Even if you do have a gun to your head, you still have thoughts, you still have a choice
