CHAPTER 16 — THE FOOTHILLS

After the twins rested and ate a snack of delicious, ripe blackberries that were growing at the foot of Mount Thinking/Working, they were anxious to continue their journey. As they stood up, stretched, and looked around, they saw a tiny sign that read, LAND OF CHOICE FOOTHILLS.
“What now?” asked Tommy, as he gazed out over gently rolling pastures and fields.
“Now you get a chance to show how much you’ve learned,” answered Choosy Chicken.
“You mean, before we go home, we have to make more choices?” asked Tommy.
“That’s right,” said Choosy, “lots of choices. But they should be easy for you, now.”
“What kinds of choices do we make this time?” asked Tammy.
“Why any kind,” said Choosy Chicken, “as long as they’re OK. Those will move you along the quickest. OD choices only create unnecessary detour and delays — just like in everyday life.” Choosy added the last four words very quietly.
“Oh,” responded Tammy, then she smiled in an attempt to hide her disappointment. “But when do we get to go home?”
Choosy Chicken clucked sympathetically and gave the girl a clumsy pat on the shoulder with her wing. “It won’t be long now, child, I promise. Just make lots of OK choices and you’ll be there in no time. Oh, there’s one more thing, at least at first you need to name the kinds of choices you’re making out loud.”
“Well, what are we waiting for?” shouted Tommy. “Let’s get on with it!”
“OK Thinking/Working and OK Ruling! Right?” said Tammy. Choosy Chicken nodded and the twins laughed.
The group set out across the gently green hills. The winding country lane they followed was bordered by a low stone wall on one side and a sparkling stream on the other. Trees shaded the path on both sides.
“I wish Grandma were here,” Tammy remarked with a sad sigh. “She would love this place. It’s so beautiful.”
“Hmm. OK Sorrowing, I guess,” said Tommy. “And, maybe, OK Enjoying, too?” he added, looking quizzically at Choosy Chicken.
“What about OK Caring?” Tammy wanted to know.
The purple bird clucked, nodding her head up and down. “It could be all three kinds of choices. Actually, children, since they’re your feelings and your choices YOU are the ones who decide, nobody else. It’s up to you. Remember the poem? Here’s part of it.”

You can choose the things you do,
Even your feelings are up to you.

You choose how you talk and act,
No one else. And that’s a fact.

The twins thought about that for a minute, then Tommy, who was ready for action, ran off the path. “Come on, Tammy, let’s walk on the wall! And that’s a ruling choice!”
“But an OK one,” Tammy giggled, climbing up on the low structure behind her brother. “I love to walk on walls. And that’s an enjoying choice.”
“Careful. This is tricky,” said Tommy and he added, “Another OK ruling choice — and maybe caring, too.”
Arms spread for balance, they continued on the wall, stepping skillfully along the uneven surface.
After awhile Tommy raised his head and looked around. “Hey! Where’s Red?”
“I don’t know,” replied Tammy, startled. “He was here just a minute ago. Red!” she called. “Here, Red! Here, boy! Oh, I hope he isn’t lost.”
“I don’t think he could get lost here if he tried,” Choosy Chicken reassured them.
“He’s probably just off chasing a rabbit somewhere,” Tommy answered.
No sooner had Tommy finished speaking, when the big setter came bounding over the top of the hill, ears and tail flying.
Laughing with relief, the twins jumped down from the wall and greeted him warmly before setting off down the path again.
“I guess a lot of those were sorrowing choices until Red showed up. Then we made enjoying choices,” Tommy commented.
“Watch out for that plant — I think it’s poison ivy,” Tammy warned. And I’ll call that ruling — and maybe caring, too — like you did earlier.”
“Here, Red, let me get some of those burrs out of your fur for you,” Tommy called. “And I guess that’s another choice that’s both ruling and caring.”
As they reached the top of the last hill, the stream on their left tumbled down to the valley below, to become part of a deep, fast-flowing river. The only way they could see that they might cross was a wooden bridge at the foot of the hill. Even from where they stood, the twins could see a gate across the entrance and the sign above it said, TOLL BRIDGE — TOLL, 2 CHOOSIES, CASH.
“Uh-oh,” muttered Tommy beneath his breath, “I think we’re in trouble.”
They stopped at the orange and white striped toll booth. Inside was a young woman wearing a frilly cap, knitting a blue baby blanket.
“Hello, children,” she smiled. “Let’s see, there are four of you. That will be eight choosies.”
“Uh, what are choosies?” asked Tommy, slightly embarrassed.
“Why, it’s money. A coin,” she replied pleasantly.
Tommy looked at Choosy Chicken, who spread her wings helplessly. “Uh, well, I’m afraid we don’t have any,” he confessed to the woman.
“How about decisoes? Or selects” Do you have any of those?”
Tommy shrugged and shook his head. “No, I’m afraid not. We, uh, we don’t have any money actually,” he said, as he turned his pockets inside out.
“Then, how are you going to get across?” asked the woman with a broad smile. “This is the only bridge for miles — and the river has a strong undertow that makes swimming very dangerous.”
Tommy fell silent, biting his lip in frustration. He felt like crying. “What are we going to do?” he wondered. “Where can we possibly come up with enough money to pay our way across the bridge? It seems as though we’re never going to get home.”
“I just thought of something,” cried Tammy suddenly. “Why don’t we see if we can work for it!”
“Yeah!” Tommy brightened, and he turned toward the woman. “How about if we run errands for you until we’ve earned enough of those choosies to pay all our tolls across the bridge?”
The woman frowned. “Well, I don’t know,” she began uncertainly. “This is highly irregular.”
“But it can be done, right?” pressed Tammy eagerly. “Surely you have something we can do to earn money. We’re not afraid of hard work. We’ll do a good job on whatever we do.”
“Oh, all right,” said the woman, relenting. “Since there doesn’t seem to be any other way for you to get across. . .”
For the next hour she kept the twins busy winding soft blue yarn, sweeping the path, polishing furniture, washing the already-spotless windows in the toll booth, and fetching a bucket of water from a nearby spring.
“I think you’ve earned enough now,” said the woman after they’d all had a refreshing drink of the ice-cold water. She reached inside the toll booth and pressed a silver button. The wooden gate whirred open and the four companions hurried through.
“Good-bye, children! Thank you for all your help!”
“Good-bye, ma’am! And thank you for letting us across!” The twins turned and waved from the middle of the bridge, then ran the rest of the way to the other side. A sign they saw beside the road said, THE WAY HOME.
The twins looked at each other and smiled. Red barked a quiet bark and ran on ahead.

Chapter 16 — THE BIG IDEA

For Chapter 16 the Big Idea is: We own our feelings – our feelings don’t own us; even when we feel bad we can make OK CREST choices.

The User’s Guide for Chapter 16 makes this suggestion: In almost any situation you can make a Caring choice, a Ruling choice, an Enjoying choice, a Sorrowing choice, or a Thinking/Working choice, and … sometimes it is good to STOP, THINK, and make whichever of the CREST CHOICES makes the best sense — for someone else or for yourself.

Think about this idea and how you can use it to make your life better.

Here is an activity you can do on your own or with a partner or in a group. Make a cube like the one below, fold it, and tape the edges:














Think of some different situations, then throw the cube and make the choice that comes up, in response to the situation. Sometimes the choice won’t really fit, but not all choices we make DO fit. If the CREST side comes up, choose any of the CREST choices you want to make. Make the choice, then label it Caring, Ruling, Enjoying, Sorrowing, or Thinking/Working, whichever you think it is.

Example #1: A friend won a prize for drawing, music, etc.

Caring: (Doesn’t fit very well but you could say) I bet you’re worn out after all that work.
Ruling: Keep up the good work.
Enjoying: I’m so pleased for you.
Sorrowing: (Has to be about yourself) I’m sorry I didn’t keep up my artwork (music).
Thinking/Working: Did that take a lot of practice?
CREST: Congratulations. (an enjoying choice)

Example #2: A family member is ill.

Caring: Is there something I can get you?
Ruling: Rest awhile. I’ll do what needs to be done.
Enjoying: You even look good when you’re pale.
Sorrowing: (Has to be about yourself) Oh, dear, I’ll probably be sick next.
Thinking/Working: Picking out a book and reading to the person. (Can also be seen as a caring choice)
CREST: Fluffing the pillows. (a caring choice)

To order the print form of In the Land of Choice, and the second novel in the series, The Magic of Choice, use the ORDER LINK below.

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