We're surrounded by choices.
Here are six I was compelled to make before breakfast.
- Should I get up? I'm not a slave or a child. No one will force me to leave the comfort of my bed. Whether or not to get up is entirely a matter of my free choice - a decision I make (eventually) every day.
- What should I wear? Who shall I be today? Shall I be colourful and confident? Shall I put on my new self, discovered during last week's shopping trip? Or will it be the tired old self, 2004 edition, worn out, faded and uninteresting?
- What shall I listen to? Barely an hour has past since I last regained consciousness. I've already had to make two difficult decisions, but this next choice could take the rest of the day. True, Aunty BBC is always proffering her wares, but surely it's best to consider all the available options? Can I interest you in another radio station, sir? How about one from the internet? Any country you like. Or listen again to any broadcast from the past week. Need a broader range to choose from? How about a podcast? Or some music - one of your MP3s perhaps? Don't have the track you want? Buy it online at the click of a button!
- What shall I eat? It's easy to limit yourself to a hundred varieties of cereal, ten kinds of milk, and a few thousand combinations of bread, I can't believe it's any different to Flora and marmalade. But why restrict yourself? Don't you know what you're missing? Why not try a continental? Or Japanese (including rice and raw egg)? Pancake? Thai soup? And please - what kind of tea or coffee would you like? This is the 21st Century!
- What shall I read? Forget the daily paper: don't you want the freedom to choose? All the major news sources are available online these days - why not customize your Google News page to give you only what you want to read? Or just subscribe to your favourite news sources with Bloglines!
- Finally, where should I go for my early-morning jog?