First Avenue

Some Thoughts on Commitment


How committed should we be to a commitment? At what point can a commitment be broken? Is it sometimes necessary to make changes when the wind changes course? These are all questions we have to contend with everyday. If I told someone I will commit to go to their event and then another, even better event comes up, do I need to keep my commitment to that first person? You do. Have I broken that rule before? I have. What if we made plans several months ago to take my son on a college visit. When his team’s game schedule recently came out, we noticed that his team is playing a game that night. Should he stay with his college visit, his original plan? His coach decided for him; drop the college visit or don’t plan on playing in the game. In this painting, we see a couple moseying down the street together. If they are married, they are committed for life. Can you really commit to something or someone for life? Statistics tell us that half don’t stay the course.

Sometimes, it becomes irrational to “stay the course” though. Things change all the time and we need to be able to bend with these changes. It drives me nuts when the talking heads say, “the president said he’d do this and now he has not”. Well, look at the big picture. Why did he change his course? Did circumstances change? On the other hand, when someone says they’ll go to a concert with you, the tickets are bought, you’re waiting for them outside the door and they call to tell you they can’t make it….that’s enough to make you crazy…and you’ll probably keep your distance from this person when it comes to planning another event.

Think of three people who always do what they say they’re going to do. These are the people you can count on and you hold them dear to your heart. If they say they’ll be by at 3pm with the book, they will be there. Now think of three people who often let you down, the ones who are like water running through your hands. You just can’t nail them down! Now think of three people who are as rigid as boards. They said X and X always stands…no matter what. Yuck. Who wants to hang around someone like that? No discussion, it’s always X. That’s no fun at all either.

Where are you on the commitment scale?

First Avenue, Oil on board, 24x36”, Original by Joanne Shellan