I'm not one for fate. I like to romantacise and imagine that we are somehow intertwined in some pattern and are heading to that one person we are supposed to spend the rest of our lives with. It's a womderful and usually heart warming thought, but it's not for me.
Having said that, I can think of what my pivotal moment was and last night I was told of a couple of brilliant ones over the past couple of weeks.
The first pivotal moment is one of my friends worked in Portugal as a holiday rep in a kids club. She met her husband and father of soon to be three children there. Only Portugal wasn't her original destination, I've actually forgotten where she was supposed to be heading but, either way that moment where she said "yes" to going instead to Portugal is that moment. Even though it's a certainty her life would be immeasureably different if she would have have said no, I know she wouldn't change a thing.
The second is one where a woman met her husband on his stag doo. At the last minute, she was invited to Blackpool by an old friend and decided to call a hotel she'd used before. They hadn't got any vacancies but the girls decided they'd go either way. Just before leaving she had a call from the hotel who said they had a cancellation so took that room. Cooincidence enough in itself, but the last thing is a simple shift swap, she called another of my friends to swap a Saturday. Obviously he agreed, but what if he already had something planned and couldn't swap the shift...
Mine (or at least the current one) doesn't have a happy ending (at the moment), but I can tell you when one tiny decision changed the course of my life. When I was at college, I had to do a meaningless BTEC course to be able to re-do my English Literature GCSE. I overslept and missed the exam the first time. So in my second year I was able to start A levels. One day, can't remember what month, date or day, but I decided not to go to my history class and just go home. It was in the bus station, I bumped into a girl I'd dated (however shortly) at school. The long and short of it after that is that we got together and ended up living together. But that moment, on the way to history, I could have gone to the library, a detour to get some food, gone shopping... anything and I'd be in a whole other world right now.
I don't know that I have regrets. I know I'd do some things very, very, differently, but I don't think I'd want to be anywhere else in my life than where I am right now. I have great friends and I'm in a place where I finally feel happy.
So that's that anyway. See if you can figure it out. One key moment or mini event that put you on an alternate track. Don't do what I do though and get bogged down in thinking about the nigh on infinate potential possibilities.
Having said that, I can think of what my pivotal moment was and last night I was told of a couple of brilliant ones over the past couple of weeks.
The first pivotal moment is one of my friends worked in Portugal as a holiday rep in a kids club. She met her husband and father of soon to be three children there. Only Portugal wasn't her original destination, I've actually forgotten where she was supposed to be heading but, either way that moment where she said "yes" to going instead to Portugal is that moment. Even though it's a certainty her life would be immeasureably different if she would have have said no, I know she wouldn't change a thing.
The second is one where a woman met her husband on his stag doo. At the last minute, she was invited to Blackpool by an old friend and decided to call a hotel she'd used before. They hadn't got any vacancies but the girls decided they'd go either way. Just before leaving she had a call from the hotel who said they had a cancellation so took that room. Cooincidence enough in itself, but the last thing is a simple shift swap, she called another of my friends to swap a Saturday. Obviously he agreed, but what if he already had something planned and couldn't swap the shift...
Mine (or at least the current one) doesn't have a happy ending (at the moment), but I can tell you when one tiny decision changed the course of my life. When I was at college, I had to do a meaningless BTEC course to be able to re-do my English Literature GCSE. I overslept and missed the exam the first time. So in my second year I was able to start A levels. One day, can't remember what month, date or day, but I decided not to go to my history class and just go home. It was in the bus station, I bumped into a girl I'd dated (however shortly) at school. The long and short of it after that is that we got together and ended up living together. But that moment, on the way to history, I could have gone to the library, a detour to get some food, gone shopping... anything and I'd be in a whole other world right now.
I don't know that I have regrets. I know I'd do some things very, very, differently, but I don't think I'd want to be anywhere else in my life than where I am right now. I have great friends and I'm in a place where I finally feel happy.
So that's that anyway. See if you can figure it out. One key moment or mini event that put you on an alternate track. Don't do what I do though and get bogged down in thinking about the nigh on infinate potential possibilities.
