Life Is Not About Right or Wrong Choices

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both…”

“Well, you should have turned back and taken the other road as soon as you realised that this one was leading you nowhere!”

Melissa knew that Mark was shouting because he’d been worried that something terrible had happened to her. When he and Tim arrived at their meeting venue and realised she wasn’t there they had started a search. Tim asked passers-by if they’d seen a dark-haired, athletic-looking woman riding a bike, while Mark retraced his steps to where the roads diverged. It was then he noticed that the direction arrow was pointing the wrong way.

“Well, you’ve found me now and I’m okay so stop worrying,” Melissa cried out defensively.

“But why didn’t you answer your phone when I called you?” Mark persisted with his questions.

Melissa watched as beads of sweat fell from his creased forehead which made him look older than his years. She ruffled his short blonde hair and smiled.

“Sorry I didn’t hear it. You and Tim shouldn’t have made a bet involving me in the first place. You didn’t think I could handle the terrain, did you?” She knew he wouldn’t have an answer and continued without pausing. “That’s why I came with you.”

“Wh-what, you knew? We’ll talk about this later. Come on, let’s get you out of here. Where’s your bike?”

Melissa pointed to a spot behind him and he walked over to get it.

“Well, I’ll be damned!” Melissa heard him shout and ran across to where he was standing. They both stood transfixed as they watched the bramble clear away as if by magic to reveal a new road. Melissa felt like Alice in Wonderland except she hadn’t fallen down a rabbit hole. Her mind said, “Don’t go down there it might be dangerous,” but her heart said, “This is an adventure.” She listened to her heart and ran down the path leaving Mark behind.

People love adventure, danger, challenges and the unknown in fiction. The more the main character suffers, the more we feel their pain and start rooting for them. When they win, we feel as if we too have won.

When similar challenges show up in real life we’re not as brave. We worry about making wrong decisions when presented with different options. Worrying doesn’t take away the pain or problem but only adds stress.

Maybe it’s time we learn to take ourselves less seriously. Maybe it’s s time we learnt to live life as an adventure because that is what it is. You only get to do this round the earth trip once per lifetime, so make the most of it.

Stop worrying about making wrong choices because life aways gives you options. Every choice you make is right for that situation and for the person you are at the time of making it. The consequences may not always be what you expected — good or bad. How many people have you heard say things such as “The means justifies the end” in defence of a life choice they made? An example is people who drop out of school then go on to be successful entrepreneurs.

Does it mean being a school drop-out is the way to go? Not necessarily. Those choices were only right for those people who became successful. However, at the time of making those choices there was no guarantee, or no way of knowing that things would turn out well.

Finally, there are no right or wrong choices in life, just options. So, start living with a sense of wonder and enjoy the adventure. Your mental health will improve and you will enjoy life more. Even when you hit a rough patch or take a big knock, you will bounce back more quickly.