,, Crossroads ,,

Not a day would pass in our lives when we aren't forced to make a decision. From the simplest question of 'What to eat..', 'What to wear..' and 'How to get to work..'; to the difficult task of thinking 'How will I be able to meet my quota?' or 'Should I take on this new job or stick to my old one?'. It is almost as conventional and as natural as breathing air. We live to decide and decide to live.

A Decision. An eight letter word. Simple but quite an ominous one that others would choose to procrastinate; trying to escape the inevitable. But that exactly is the word - try. You can always try to evade making decisions but in the end, you always need to decide.

Crossroad. A nine letter word, made up of two root words forming a compound word. A compound word that has a complex meaning. Wikipedia refers to it as an intersection of roads; or metaphorically as a place where other things - both physically and abstract - meet. I used to wonder what they mean by this.

As a child I often see crossroads from where I grew up. Thing is, it always brings me to where I want to go - HOME. For the people who grew up from where I used to live, you would know exactLy what I mean - a main road and up ahead is a branching of 2 or 3 minor roads. I also used to wonder why the need for this? Is it a shortcut to somewhere or just to slow traffic down? Basically it was there to help you reach your destination. Period. Metaphorically, I came to realize that life is full of crossroads. Not the roads we tread on, but the decisions we take on. And as we progress through life the crossroads we face become bigger, more complex and more menacing. And just when it seem as though you've passed the toughest of them, another one comes along.

Sometimes I couldn't help but think, if we were given a chance to live the last few years of our lives again would we choose to live it differently? If you'd chosen to live it distinctively, would you be any happier now? Would you be contented in your job? Would you still be in the same place you were before? Will you be in a better relationship with your friends or your special someone? But if you had lived it the other way, who is to say that that was the right way anyhow? Would it have saved you another heartache from a betrayal perhaps? If you would have lived it the other way, will you still arrive to the realization that you have grown because you chose to accept that your ways though not exactly the right way, has taught you the biggest lessons that you weren't able to find in books. Yes, you might've been hurt, disappointed, cried endlessly but you were capable of wiping those tears away and whenever they start falling just wipe them off some more. Life when we least expect it will offer us disappointments but it is the way we respond to them that makes the biggest difference in our lives. It is not in the paths we choose, but the actions we take after every decisions we make. You could always let the tears flow and flood you or you can buy a bigger hankie to wipe it all away.

To be or Not to be...

Should you be the brave who takes the road less traveled or be the wise who takes the safer and familiar one? I hope that whatever road you choose you will end up exactly where you want to be. In case it doesn't, it would be a long way back so keep moving forward. Life after all wasn't meant to be lived backwards. So if you feel that life has dealt you a low blow, stand up and roll with the punches. For if you stay slumped on the ground, life will pass you by without you noticing it and opportunities that you let slip will forever be gone.

Lately I have reached yet another crossroad in my life. I can't say I am any better in my decision making abilities than I was 5 years back, but what I am sure of is I come well equipped with the lessons from my previous blunders. I have grown better and not bitter and I am no quitter. I will choose to continue to face my crossroads because I am sure that no matter how difficult they may be, there will always be a silver lining in every cloud that blocks my sight.

So today when you come upon another crossroad - Stop awhile, Think thoroughly, Decide and keep moving forward. You may never know what lies ahead but never be afraid to keep moving on. For who knows the very thing that you might have been looking for is right there waiting somewhere down the road. Sing loudly, Live a life today, and let tomorrow take care of itself. Remember what they say - Stick to the fight when you're hardest hit. It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit!

Have a safe journey everyone. :)