Do I Really Have Anything to Say?

One question. One answer. One statement. One thought left unspoken. They can all change your life. Forever.
Who among us hasn’t had that moment (or several) that changed life in ways we could never have imagined? A job not taken. A house bought at a bad time. A witty retort thought of an hour later that would have crushed that guy! A long walk late at night, to find a place for coffee that you never find – and you never say what you would have across that table. Adopting a child.
We’ve all been there. We move in these moments sometimes without thinking, certainly without realizing that this – this conversation, this door I decided to hold open, this train I missed by 30 seconds – this small stitch in time will change everything.
I find it unfair that there aren’t flashing lights when these times arise to make sure we know what’s at stake. So many people I’ve talked to have so many examples of what they would have done “had I known” or “if only I hadn’t been in such a rush”. The consequences vary greatly – sometimes your the guy who could have been Google employee #5 but you missed the elevator; sometimes you get hit by the bus; and sometimes you meet – or fail to meet – the person of your dreams.
We all have these moments and we have to own them, when the results are both glorious and regretful. They make us who we are. That’s something we can’t change.
But maybe next time you feel like something is going unsaid, find the coffee shop. Call that guy and tell him off over the phone with that witty retort. Kiss the girl. Change a life.
You’ll always wonder what could have happened if you don’t. And that’s a life sentence.

Tags: random events, serendipity, Sliding doors, take a chance