you decide your story

Do you ever look back on your life, wondering how different things would have turned out if you changed one decision. 
Lately, I cannot stop this chain of thoughts. It is not so much of a regret as it is a mystery.
For instance, I had almost moved to New York City when I was just turning 18 to attend cosmetology. Had I done that, maybe I would be living in Ireland working in some village or on a cruise line in the Caribbean braiding away my days. I might be living in open community apartment with a righteous Woodstock vibe, but there is always the option I could be in rehab for getting into hard drugs with the heavy exposure of the inner city life.
What if I had chosen to go to Honduras instead of Malaysia. Then I might have been gone for a year instead of three months. Which, that is huge in itself.
Think. If you were gone from your family and entire life for nine months, starting a new life thousands of miles from where anyone knows your favorite color.

Another thought.
What about the small decisions.
Referencing: 500 Days of Summer, when Zooey Deschanel comments about how it was meant to be that she was sitting in that deli, reading Dori Gray, because the man that came up to ask her about it, ended up becoming her husband.
Some times in life, I have found it to be the small decisions to have large impacts.
Maybe going to Target one evening, could impact your life by running into a long lost companion and reconnecting those old ties.
It could be that decision to not wear your seat belt. To speed. To drink.
Sometimes it is just a second difference that decides our fate.

We are all full of these decisions, major or minor ones, these are what make up each of our stories. 
There is only purpose in focusing on our future decisions and not judging others for their previous ones.

Yes, I could in another life be on the other side of the world braiding hair but that is not so. In fact, here I sit in small town bible belt America at the age of twenty. Writing on a blog, and slowly working my way through school.
It is hard for me to focus on school, when all I see is the world around me. I merely want to run with the wind. Go here and there, meet people and learn from their stories. Give my efforts to the people of the world, help build shelters and heart-felt bonds.
I grow the most from hands on experience. Putting faces, names, and stories to any task or place help me soak in the information. I am one of those people that when I see something done, I can typically repeat it. However, if you stood in front of me and only told me how to do something, I would most likely struggle with the task. This is why I was never fond of school, but instead I love working.
Good news is, I have found a career path I am very fond of.
Bad news is, I do not care for college. I love to learn, do not misunderstand. I just do not enjoy waking up in the morning to go sit and listen to lectures while writing down whatever points I believe to be important.
I doodle.
I would be more fond of waking up in the morning and going to work. Give me a task. I will complete it. Whether that be to shuck corn, organize questionnaires, or clean out closets.
What ever happened to apprenticeships. I would have been quite content in those days. Except with my luck, I'd end up with some crazy job with little to no human interaction- such as a butter churner. I would find my days to be either sitting in a dark pantry or out on the plains by myself making pounds of butter for my family's bakery.
Any who.
As life goes, one must attain a skill or profession.
In today's society the options are trade schools, or college. Gotta pick one and get through it to pay for shelter and a warm dinner.
There is not any purpose in looking back, wondering what life would be like if I had chose differently.

There is purpose, however, in focusing on what you can achieve with commitment to the future. 

Your Decisions. Your Path. Your Future.