The Decision

File under Meet Yourself

Today was a landmark day in our new 'old' house.  We finally had the gas line run.  So what? you ask.  Well, the contractors would be turning our heat on by noon today. And more than just having heat for the first time this fall/winter, it was that little event that reminded me of our sometimes crazy decisions.  Let me explain.

I have been fighting a cold for several days now and today was especially bad.  I had work to do but wasn't going to go into work.  I also told myself when I woke up that i didn't want to work in the cold house, so i decided to go to the local Starbucks to work in the warmth of public caffiene addiction. After working for a while I decided to head home knowing that the heat would be on.  I won't even get into the joy of knowing that i can put the space heaters away and continue with the story.  Despite everything working perfectly and the temperature slowly rising inside, within 10 minutes i decided to go back to Starbucks. 

Why?

I went there to avoid the cold, right?  Apparently not.  Apparently my decision was based in some other reason, whether to avoid distractions, whether to avoid dog barking, or maybe just because i just like working there. In any case, i spent the rest of my day there. 

The realization that my decision wasn't based on what i logically thought it was, reminds me of the core concept of the book "Why Choose This Book: How We Make Decisions" by Read Montague.    A neuroscientist, Montague discusses not just the science, but the psychology of the decisions, showing that logic and reason often need not apply.  Understanding our penchant for certain decisions and the basis of our decisions, both good and bad, is important to defining which ones support our desired endstate.

Song of the Day
In honor of decision making and the warmth of radiator heat, the song of the day is Black Sheep's "The Choice is Yours".  Famously sampled by Fat Boy Slim on "Weapon of Choice".