I'd like to avoid the snake pits of life, please.

If you’re an 80s child you'll likely remember these books.

The “Choose Your Own Adventure” series were a far cry from literary classics, but they certainly sucked me in as a wide-eyed, day-dreaming young girl. I loved the chance to plot out the story line myself. About 20 pages into the book I’d be presented with an option: take the path by bike, or jump on a horse to ride through the wide open field.

Take the path? Go to page 64. Horse ride through the field? Page 73.

And so it would go until I’d reach the story’s conclusion. Sometimes the ending would be fairy-tale worthy, others I’d become a famous archeologist, and then there were those times I’d be left grasping for tree roots to avoid plunging into a pit of poisonous snakes. An actual cliff hanger ending!

As I reflect on the year that was, and look ahead to this New Year, I’m struck by how many choices I have. I won’t get into them here, but I feel as though I’m faced with a real-life choose my own adventure scenario.

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But how do I actually choose?

Someone once offered me this advice:  the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ of life become easier once we know what we are doing with our life. Somehow, I’m in my 30s, still not entirely sure of where I’m headed. And I’m actually okay with that.

Unfortunately, in real life I can’t do what I usually did while reading "Choose Your Own Adventure". I can’t make my choice, flip to page 63 and then change my mind when I don’t like the outcome. I have to come to terms with reality, that if I pick one thing, it does indeed mean that other options will have to go on the shelf. For now. Or maybe forever.

Canadian musician Neil Peart is quoted saying, “If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice.”  How true. So even if I’m not entirely sure what to choose, I know this much is true: This is the time to pick it and stick with it.

Fortunately, I don’t think any of my choices will lead to a snake pit ending.