Choices…

           Things in life are never constant. Big or small, there are always a lot of decisions that you have to make, every day, every minute. Some are resolved in a snap, while the others, you try to push them away until the last moment, when it is absolutely necessary for you to move on from that crossroad. In most cases, turning back is never an option. Your life would have been entirely different if you had made just one different decision. But then, what is life if not about taking chances and making choices?

The battle between your brain and your heart, especially, is something that can never be resolved to your satisfaction. You sway like a tiny little flower caught in the fury of the hurricane- your heart fluttering to make you listen to it, as your brain fights back with reason on its side. In the battle of reason versus emotion, the emotional decision stands victorious in most cases, unless the person is extremely strong-willed. In any case, no matter which decision you take, you end up losing the battle, imagining what life would have been like if you had chosen otherwise.

Recently, I was stuck at one of these cross-roads, unable to make a decision and move forward. The more the opinions I got from the people that I trusted, the more I started oscillating- and the fact that everyone’s opinion was against mine, did not help. I wrote down all the reasons that I could think of, for standing by my option, to make sure that it was not just another ego-maniacal decision of mine to prove the others wrong. It wasn’t. I had reasons enough to satisfy me, and so, I bravely set forth in the path that I had chosen. I made the deciding phone call that very day, so as not to give myself more time to be influenced onto the other side.

As more people got to know about the step that I had voluntarily taken, they approached me, one by one, wanting to know the reason behind this “rash” decision of mine. Though I fully appreciated their concern for me and my well-being, I wished they would give me the benefit of the doubt and realize that I would not have taken such an important decision without giving it a lot of thought and that I would not have taken this step unless I had reasons enough to do so.  As they tried to convince me that my decision and its consequences were a complete web of mistakes that I had woven for myself, I felt my self-confidence shatter, a little more with every other person who came up to me.

But that night, as I curled up in my bed wetting my pillow with my silent tears, I realized that this was MY life; and the only opinion that counted was that of mine, and mine alone. I wiped my eyes dry and decided to lead the life the way I wanted to, not how the others wanted me to or thought I should. And that was when I remembered this quote that I had chanced upon years ago.

“Opinions are like feet. There are always a couple, and they always stink”

It makes total sense now…

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