With the Flip of a Coin by gabriel

With the Flip of a Coin by gabriel - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

“When life gives you a tough decision flip a coin,” Mr. D. say's as he walks towards me.

“Huh?” I respond, not understanding the meaning behind his words.

“You’re having a difficult time deciding what snack you want most. Right?” he questions.

“Uhh, Yeah,” I reply.

“Ok. Here you go,” tossing me the coin, “Now flip it.”

As the coin goes up I decide tails is for Doritos and heads is Cheetos. I catch the coin with my right hand

and in one last motion I slap the coin on the top of my left hand. I take a quick glance at Mr. D. before

revealing the coin. It’s tails. I guess Doritos it is.

He looks at me and says, “Now you won’t be late for class.”

“I’m still going to be late for class,” I say as I bend over to retrieve my Doritos.

“Why is that?” his eyebrows furrow as he asks.

I smirk and answer, “Class is on the other side of the school.”

As his face softens he states, “I’ve got time. I’ll walk with you.”

“So I’ve been thinking. You know how you said to decide something with a flip of a coin. Well that’s all

good when making decisions that aren’t big like the one now; but what about choices that can impact your

life for better or worse. Would you still advise me the same?” I ask.

“Yes,” he replies with no hint of hesitation.

I take a few seconds before responding, “That’s bad advice.”

“It’s not about the coin, it’s about the feeling you get when you reveal the coin toss. You look

confused. So let me give you an example. Earlier you were having a hard time deciding between Doritos

and Cheetos; you flipped a coin and it landed tails. In this scenario the outcome was satisfactory. So

because of this you stayed with the choice that was given but had it been the Cheetos; the feeling of not

really wanting them would have you choosing the Doritos either way. You see it’s not about the coin but

the feeling that one has at the moment; the feeling is the key to making the final choice,” he took his

time to explain, and then asked, “Do you understand?”

“Yeah, I guess,” I responded even though I still had my doubts.

“You should try it one day and let me know what happens,” he says, as we arrive to my classroom.

He smiles and hands me a hall pass, “Here. Now you’re not late.”

The time came when I was faced with having to decide what college to choose; either it be far or close

but I had to pick. I had inner conflicts everyday about staying near my family or moving away from my

parents. The problem was eating at me when I recalled the time Mr. D. had provided me with advice. I

got my wallet out and picked a coin. I flipped the coin and when it came down I failed to catch it. The

coin rolled under my kitchen table but it didn’t matter because I had already made up my mind. It was at

this moment that Mr. D.’s advice had finally made sense.

Choices are difficult to make and sometimes it’s hard to know if the choice you made is right. The coin

method helps me save time and yet make the decision that feels right.