It's all about the pie.

We all know that our lives are full of choices. There are so many metaphors in our culture that refer to choices: a fork in the road, a flip of a coin... but really, most choices involve much more than a simple yes or no.

Since Thanksgiving is just past, and many of us are still fondly remembering pie, consider this: three people are sitting at a counter in a diner, and a waitress is about to ask them if they want a piece of cherry pie for desert. Okay, you say, so it will end up that either all will have pie, or none will, or two will and one won't, or one will and two won't. Simple math. But is it?

The waitress asks the first customer, "Would you like a piece of cherry pie?"

"Yes, but I'd like it warm."

"Okay, would you like ice cream on it?"

"Yes, vanilla."

"Do you want whipped cream?"

"Yes, but only a little bit."

"Okay." The waitress turns to the next person.

"Would you like cherry pie?"

"Yes, but just a small piece, and not warmed up, and no ice cream, and a whole lot of whipped cream."

You see? Choices. Not simple yes or no, because there are degrees of yes and no. You might decide on cherry pie, but how you eat your cherry pie, and how much of it you choose to have, might not be the same as what your neighbor might choose.

Now the waitress turns to the third person.

"Would you like a piece of cherry pie?"

"No, but I would like that piece of apple pie I see in that case over there."

So there you have it. Sometimes your choices aren't limited to the ones offered to you. Sometimes there are better choices out there, if you are observant and see the apple pie tucked in the back of the case, maybe hidden away for the waitress's break. (But we'll discuss how our choices affect other people in another blog.)

Of course, all three people might be affected differently by their decision to have pie. One might get sick from it, or gain weight. Maybe another has been having a bad day but the pie cheers him so much he buys his teenager a new car on the way home. Maybe one of them is late to work, and eating the pie will get him fired.

Maybe the waitress, angered that she can't have her apple pie on her break, will be in a bad mood and won't make enough tips that afternoon to buy groceries. (Okay, I said we wouldn't talk about that, but I changed my mind. What can I say? I can be fickle that way, just ask Rainie!)

As for me, I have trouble choosing between apple and cherry, at least at Thanksgiving. So I often take a half slice of cherry and a half slice of apple, preferring to have less of each so I can have both. Sometimes I just have a cup of coffee and skip the pie.

I hope no one was hoping for any profound advice on making life choices, because I really don’t have any, except to say...

Relax. And eat your pie.