What if I'd made a different decision?

Have you ever wondered how your life might have changed if you'd made just one different decision?

Last night I watched an episode of the Korean series Tomorrow. An old man, nearing the end of his life, believed everything had gone wrong because of one decision: he volunteered to fight in the Korean War.

That decision changed his life, and looking back, he wished he had chosen differently.

We've all done it.

What if I'd accepted that job?

What if I'd moved to another city?

What if I'd told someone I loved them?

What if I'd stayed?

What if I’d left?

Looking at the questions I immediately feel like I'm playing the "what if" game with a three-year-old. Except I don't think it's a bad idea to consider where we are in life. So maybe every now and then it's ok to ask "What if...?"

But here's the key: Wonder about the road not taken if you like. Just don't forget to notice where the road you chose has already carried you.

That ties directly back to the Korean story's ending.

The old man thought his life had been wasted.

Only later did he realize he had touched countless lives because of the path he took.

That's a theme running throughout the Prospect Tower series.

Characters who believed everything was lost later discovered that what looked like an ending was really the beginning of something much larger.

Max's death seemed like the end.

Gary's illness seemed tragic.

Marcus and Tommy lost each other.

None of them could see, in that lifetime, what their choices or circumstances would eventually mean.

I still wonder about the roads I didn't take.

Maybe the better question isn't, "What if I'd chosen differently?"

Maybe it's, "Who was able to become who they are because I didn't take a different path?"

You may never know whose life was changed because you chose the road you're walking today.

Mj