Of Paths and Crossings

Once in a while you come across a fork in the road. You sort of know what to expect from each choice. Not the nitty-gritty details, but you can see rather clearly the larger, more significant ramifications. The choices don’t always include moving forward. At times, one includes backtracking a little bit, going back, from the little detour you had taken and continuing on the expected path.

The sane, practical people you see around, usually take the latter option. But sometimes they get bored of being sane all the time. So they take the road less travelled. Despite the big signs advising them against it. It is allowed. Even the most sensible people need to do crazy things. They have fun for a while. But they soon realize that they miss the comfort of the expected. So they take another crazy turn, and end up on the road they were originally following.

However, more often than not, they choose the backtracking option. Ever been in a position when things are great, when there is a tremendous amount of possibility, when you are having an immensely pleasant time playing all kinds of games? But then something happens. You start to rationalize. You decide against taking that alluring path. Bet even as you reach that decision, that magic portal seems to have closed its doors. All the incentive it needed was a little hesitation. And then you are confused. Sure, you are relieved to be back on the beaten track. But is that nagging feeling regret? Are you perhaps wondering what could have happened and that you missed a wonderful opportunity? But then you remember it was for feeling precisely that way that you had once taken that other road. Maybe, the experience was worth having, but not one you would want to rush back to in a hurry.

And then there are those other sort of people who always do things they feel like doing, never rationalizing, never stopping to think about it. They go through life just as well. Living a little more fully, perhaps. But then, that is why these people fall in different categories. They think differently. Different things make them happy. And to each his own...