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Two Roads

29th Dec '11


"You're waiting for a train.. A train - that will take you far away.. You know where you hope this train will take you, but you can't know for sure.."

We discuss a lot of things with our friends, our families.. What we hear from each other and the experiences we share creates an impression upon us. We hear stories, stories that sometimes entertain us, surprise us, make us laugh or cry, or feel for a character. Some generate phobias, and some instill courage in our hearts. Stories that make us think of a 'what if'. 'What if I was in that position? What if I had to make that decision? What if I had a few months to live?' Stories define us, and change the way we percieve the world, and of-course, life, as we know it.

When I think back about the choices I've made, and the friends I have, I feel glad. I saw a short on child abuse, and I felt grateful for great parents. I heard a story of two people who didn't understand each other (or even try), and lost each other, and I thanked my friends.Watched a NatGeo docu on a badass car accident, and I even thanked my stars I was alive!! Maybe that's one of the many reasons I love stories, and feel the need to tell them all the time. But today I heard a new one, the one I will soon recite to you.

In a conversation I had in a bus, we talked about the two roads. You see, life has many roads. They're like branches of a tree. You take one and you keep wondering what would've happened if you took the other. Some misguide you, some show you the light, some tangle you up, and some bring you back. But it's that choice - that wretched choice that you gotta make that will change your life completely.

There's that fancy road; it has trees that bear apples, and gold that paves the path you tread on. An private jet waits for you at a private airport, and all you have to do is catch it! It seems easy and pleasant, and it makes you feel secure - although, it won't eventually lead to where you thought it would take you. But you survive. You're living, comfortably, but something seems wrong.

The other road is rocky and there is scorching heat - the vines block the path and you have to cut your way through with your bear hands. There are pitfalls. You have to cross rivers and climb mountains. Some would say that only the foolish make such a choice, and you doubt yourself, your dreams. But when it's over - you find true happiness in your heart. All the scratches heal and your cheeks turn pink again. You don't stop falling. The vines do come now and then, but towards the end you're like Indiana Jones! And life seems good; and rich - not in terms of money.

Either ways, you survive. But the journeys that are hard, the ones we run from, are the ones that will keep us happy. And not everyone has the courage to take it. To fight for it, to enjoy it and challenge themselves.

These are the kind of stories that we, as creators, artists, dancers, chefs, writers, musicians, have to tell ourselves. That it's all worth the wait - the scratches, the sores, the sweat and gore. It's all going somewhere - maybe even a way of living. We will enjoy the finer things that our lives have to offer.

We will always have something to do - something to admire, and someone to love.

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