Change in Directions

Earlier this week I decided to give one of the couples who were planning on getting married in a few days, a call. I called them specifically because I had not been getting any answers to my emails and there were a lot of things to look after in terms of ceremony choice etc. prior to their wedding. When I called, I was saddened to hear that the wedding had been cancelled and that the couple had gone their separate ways. Saddened I guess, because they were such a nice couple and wondering if it was the right thing to do or not.

My first inclination was to think that it is better to make that decision now than to wait until after the wedding. I then started to think it through a little more. Suppose that decision was not the right one, ever think of that? Our lives are full of decisions. I heard a friend say at their 25th Wedding Anniversary that the day him and his wife married he made it clear to his new wife that "from this day forward, all the big decisions will be made by me". He went on to say that "he has been amazed that there has never been one big decision to be made". Obviously, someone is making the decisions other than him.

I know that we all have regreted decisions in the past and we shake it off and say "well, you live and learn". Yes you do live and learn but it is too bad sometimes that we couldn't do the learning first then maybe the living would be better. Then there are people who never seem to learn even from their mistakes.

Each of us have, or need to have, a support system of parents, teachers, friends, co-workers etc, who have in the past influenced our lives to the point of shaping who we are today. When someone becomes wildly successful, invents something that saves thousands of lives or just becomes very highly influential who do they owe their greatness to? Was it the person on the last step of the influencing ladder, their most recent Mentor? Or, was it someone in that Mentor's life like a Teacher or Guidance Counsellor who encourage them along the way. Or, could it have been the father or mother of that Guidance Councellor or Teacher who did a great job raising him/her. It might have also been the Grandparents of the Guidance Counsellor or Teacher who raised such great kids who later became his/her parents. It just goes on and on. I hope you get the picture.  Decisions we make can totally change our sphere of influence because we are now hanging out with a different crowd. You have to wonder sometimes what life might have been like if you hadn't made the decision you did way back when.

Getting back to the couple that decided to go their separate ways and cancel their wedding. It could very well have been the right thing to do but they will never know how life might have been if they hadn't made this decision. Here's hoping that it was the best thing for both of them.