Life’s like a folding ruler

We live in a world where the road of life is likened to a straight road set with milestones every few hours. Society has certain expectations of you, and sets a timeline to what you should be doing at what stage. So it becomes odd when an eighty four year old man enters the Guinness Book of Records for being the oldest person to start primary school [because he’s a little too late]. And it becomes odd when you’re a guy or a girl who’s still single in your mid thirties. And it becomes odd when you decide to change your career halfway into it. And it becomes odd…

But as your life unfolds and you listen to the stories of others you realize the road of life is not straight. It’s tortuous, filled with curves and twists. You keep on taking the next step, totally clueless about what would appear in the bend ahead. And this uncertainty makes life scary. But it also makes life interesting.

Personally when I think of our life’s path, I like to think of a folding ruler. Of course, while an actual ruler measures distance, our lives are measured in time. Each section can rotate around a hinge and the final shape is determined by the angles at which you decide to set those sections. Just like there are many choices to pick from whenever you reach a certain crossroads of your life and your life’s narrative is determined by each one of those choices. Even not making a choice is considered a choice.

So own your choices and choose wisely.

Image from: istockphoto.com/mofles