jml297

It wasn’t until some time had passed that I could appreciate the significance of what had happened. In the moment, there was an absence of perspective. All I could think about was how important the decision I had to make was, and how the outcome would dictate the direction of the rest of my life.

This was the result of years of expectations, and being more literal-minded than most meant that whatever the message was, I believed it first and wasn’t always able to separate reality from hyperbole. Life experience has helped to soften some of the hard edges that I’d attributed to facts and events in my life: things can be so many shades of grey.

Hindsight can be a blessing and a curse. I know now that there are many moments that are forks in the road of life. It can be hard to make the right decision, and sporadically, it’s beneficial to make the wrong choice as this is how you learn, and how you grow. The direct route isn’t always the best; you can learn more from winding roads and scenic detours about yourself and other people.

You don’t always get what you want, and that isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes you have to make mistakes, and learn lessons the hard way to grow and become a better version of yourself.

I’m participating in this blogging challenge for the month of January, which supports starting the year on the “write” track. You can find out more about the challenge, join in and read other posts here.

Photo: a knitted message spotted wrapped around a pole in Lane Cove – “You can do hard things”