life-changing moments

Do you ever pause, take a look at your life today, and think "what if...."

I don't mean necessarily a regretful 'what-if',    it could also be a what-if of relief:

"Phew, what-if I had said yes to that job offer, I would

 never have moved to the place I love so much today"

or a wistful, wondering what-if:

"I remember that boy, the one I snubbed at the age of 15, who was 

taking  over  his family farm ...what if I had married him ....."

"what if I had travelled with that group of student friends, I may have lived in a different country"

I think it must be the influence of all the youngsters we have had around us during the summer.  So many of whom are at stages in their lives where decisions have to be taken, directions chosen.  Sometimes a monumental choice hangs on such insignificant details:  A golden opportunity refused to avoid missing  a day with a best friend;  a vital exam failed because the wrong stuff was revised; 

I know that at the age of 17 my life could have taken a very different direction, and I often wonder what it could have led to.    In my final years at high school I had to choose which subjects to specialise in.  I was  a sort of average student, but did fairly well in the art class.  I would have loved to have taken art as a main subject during the last two years, but that meant studying with a specific teacher.   I didn't like her that much, and  she wasn't wild about me.   Because of that bad impression I dropped my favourite subject.

If I had studied art  I may not have studied languages

if I hadn't studied languages I may not have travelled so much as a student

If I hadn't travelled I would probably not have fallen in love in  France

  ...  hey!  I probably wouldn't even be writing this blog! ...

So to my children today, I often say "keep your options open", " try to see the wider picture", "think about the consequences", but of course we all know that  hindsight is a notoriously wonderful thing!

I'd love to know if you can pinpoint a decision, even from years back, and look back and say, "ah yes, if things had gone differently that day ......"