The Spoon in the Road.

Mike Shields

Yogi Berra once said, “When you get to the fork in the road, you should take it.”

Not to be confused with Yogi Bear, who more than once said, “Hey, Boo Boo, look at the picnic basket.”

Both of the above involves a choice. Now you may think you have two of them, in the first case, either the left or right path, and the second is whether or not to take the aforementioned picnic basket.

There is however a logical third choice, which is to stand at the fork in the road, and wait, or to stare at the picnic basket, and do nothing. Both of these involve waiting. Now, I’m not going to extol the virtues of what these particular choices should be, just that they need to be made, no matter what you’re trying to decide....

You’ve heard the term, “Deer in the headlights.” Why is this phenomenon so universal? As opposed to Universal, the movie studio. Which is owned by NBC, but I digress....

Universal truths are true 100% of the time. What is the deer thinking? Which path to take? Jump over the car, Continue across the road, or, make an emergency Bat-Turn, and go back the way it came. Now, the reason that sometimes, the deer gets plowed into by the SUV and ends up tied to its hood, is that it took too long to make one of three simple choices. Deers used to choices run away, however, their friends saw that choice led to being tied on the hood as well.

What I’m saying here in my borderline passive/aggressive manner is, deciding not to decide yet, is and of itself, a decision.

Let’s think about that for a moment. It’s ok, I’ll wait.

The conclusion you should’ve drawn here is that I’m right, in no matter what endeavor you pursue. Remembering that if you’re on the stand, and the prosecutor asks you, ”Have you stopped beating your wife?“  Neither a yes or no answer is correct here. The third logical choice is, ”To my recollection, I have never beaten your wife.“ Other possible answers include, but are not limited to, ”I’m single.“ Or, ”Why, what have you heard?“

Call, raise, or fold. Yes, no, or wait in the poker arena. Of course, these lead to how much, and when, but that’s another conversation for another column on an entirely different site....

So, the next time you get to the fork in the road, take the 3rd path. Because the next time you get there, you may find that the fork is actually a spoon.

Tune in Next Week... When I discuss why no matter what choice you make, you’re actually screwed in another edition of, It’s the Law!!!

Disclaimer: Mike is either a poker player, or a filmmaker, depending on when or where you ask him. If you wish to connect with him in any way - he is LinkedIN as an "All Around Neat Guy" and his blog can be found at: Who Is the WatchMaker      

The Law of Unintended Consequences ^TM is a Trademark of Mike Shields. 

Mike is promoting his next film 168 Project and is actively seeking sponsorship. 

November 5, 2008   by Network Abundance Publications