It came to me as I was thinking about taking a trip to my favorite coffee shop.

As we all know, the weather has been a bit challenging lately. The weather gods continue to bless us with all sorts of moisture — from bits of rain to snow showers with a helping of freezing drizzle thrown in for good measure.

That mixture of moisture has led to some seriously bad road conditions and ice covered sidewalks. Here’s a touch of my experience with slush covered roads.

Driving home one day and after a day’s worth of falling snow, the roads were covered with about four inches slippery slush. I tried to be very careful, but there was a nasty sloping curve coming up and I motored into it. I soon slid into the ditch. I noticed my car kept moving forward in the ditch so I increased my speed a bit, pointed my car up to the road and escaped the ditch. Thankfully, I got home safely.

Thinking back on that experience, perhaps I should have entered more into my thoughts with a “Do I or Don’t I” mentality. Do I want to get home safely or don’t I have the courage (and driving skills) to proceed? I’m still asking myself if my decision was wise, but it all ended well.

Life is full of those “Do I or Don’t I” moments. For instance…

Do I want to walk on our ice covered sidewalks or not? Well, since I wanted that cup of coffee from my favorite coffee shop, yes, I will walk those perilous sidewalks. By the way, the walk was fine and the coffee was delicious!

Do I take the same route to the grocery store or should I try a new route? Don’t I know my old route well enough? Maybe it’s time to try a new drive to the store.

Do I want to enter into a conversation with someone who thinks differently than I do? Don’t we grow as a person when we physically or verbally reach out to someone? I do believe we do.

Do I always need to purchase the same beverages? Again, don’t we grow intellectually when we try something new? So, I’ll open that bottle of Vinha Da Coutada Velha Portuguese Red Blend wine and try something new. I expect the wine will be delicious.

Do I pay attention to today’s news or not? From past experience, I know that if we don’t get somehow involved to save our democracy, it will slowly erode. Don’t hesitate — find a way to get involved and do it.

Why do I always read the same genre? I do enjoy historical fiction books, but maybe it’s time to try something new. Again, don’t we grow as a person the more we reach out? Guess it’s time to take my own advice.

It all boils down to this: do we continue to choose the same old path or do we take the path less traveled?

May you have more “Do I” moments than “Don’t I” moments throughout this year.