If you've seen the movie Pirates of the Caribean, the you know one line of the movie is "that's a smart match". A made was talking to the leading (ahem, cute) actress about a marriage proposel.

I've often wonder why I see people making life choices based on this theory. Heck, I've done it myself on numberous occasions. The choice is made over a smart match, even though we know it isn't a match that holds true to our character.

The most basic of these is when it comes to snack food. The candy bar is our prefered choice, but that carrot stick is the "smart match". Have we degraded ourselves over the years that we would deny what we truly want and need just because it's more popular in society to choose something that we can settle on?

It's like the old way of waying your pros and cons and seeing which is the larger of the two. These days it's not the size of the lists, but the size of this things on the list. Even if you come up with more pros for the candy bar and more cons for that carrot stick, people still tend to pick the carrot stick. Society has pounded in our heads that it's better to make what is seen as the smart match.

I have always tried to stear clear of being influenced by society. I know it's unavoidable, but my happiness is not dependent on what is popular or smart. I have a slim build, and society says men should be muscular. Do I care? Hell no. I have the build that I want. My muscle tone and overall strength is more improtant than a "six pack". I don't care that my muscles don't bulge as long as I can pick a 223 lb woman off the floor and put her on the couch when she falls.

I've had times when I get strange looks when they find out mine and Kathy's age difference. There have even been times when she was given the check at a restaraunt because the server thought she was my mother. Sure, that felt weird, but does the heart want the smart match? It's the mind that puts those doubts like "she's 15 years older than me, I better not even think about a relationship" into ourselves. It's also the mind that makes a person think it's ok to drive 70 mph down the interstate holding onto the top of a car (sorry R, I had to use that example). The heart doesn't care about such things. It sees the person as someone to love and cherish, and the rest of the body will follow if that is true.

The most important thing is realize the smart matches aren't always what is best for us. Look inside and listen to your heart and sole and realize that society can stick their smart matches where the sun don't shine. To be happy, go with the matches that are taylored to your personal likes and dislikes.