You probably read the headline and thought to yourself, "this better be a good story..." and then your next thought might have been, "or this guy is full of BS trying to catch peoples attention with click-bait."
I promise you it's not the latter... lol
It was a heated battle, the score was one-to-one, with whoever won the next round, would take home the glory and decide both of our destinies.
Rock
Paper
Scissors
SHOOT!
...
...
We both looked down and started to laugh hysterically. He won.
It didn't feel like a life changing event at the time, but of course looking back it was.
Since he won, his pick for what we would do after high school was set in stone. We were to both join the military after we graduated. If I would have won, we both would have went to college somewhere close to home, but that destiny wasn't meant to be.
It felt more like a sense of relief since I didn't have to decide on it. lol
As a young person, making decisions like this isn't too big of a deal. You can always pivot to something different. You can also be flaky and back out. You're young, it's almost to be expected.
Looking back, it wasn't a mistake. It wasn't destiny. It was just what happened at that time. I credit that small, yet impactful, event to be a great step towards me growing as a person.
It's all how you look at your life and past experiences. You could arbitrarily say things were stupid or dumb, or you could look that them as connecting the dots. The connections that led to where you are now.
Look back at your past as positive experiences. You can't take them back, but you can use them as lessons to learn from.
I think I might just like this post... Kind of wanted more but at the same time I don't as the imagination of the rest is just as good. Great little tale and a risky move! Glad it worked out for you.
Believe me! The intention wasn't to make a good story, just a couple of young fellows not knowing what they were doing! LOL
I say the "risk" definitely paid off! Traveled to dozens of countries on this great Earth and met some amazing people along the way!
It is amazing how as kids we are expected to make these massive, life-changing decisions with no possible way to know what is best or how it works out. Imagine if it had gone the other way how different your life would be now. So tell me, are you still friends with this other person? Does he think it was agood decision as well?
I have a friend here, a Venezuelan, for whom life has been the definition of hard. His mom is mentally challenged and uneducated. He never knew his dad. Was on his own in the streets of Caracas at 14. Now at 30 he supports 5 children (including two kids that arent technically his) along with his mom, grandma and aunt. He works like crazy but never has anything in his pocket. The result is that he wants to join the French Foreign Legion. Promises of a new life including healthcare, a salary, a french passport, and the possibility of a better life overshadow the probability that he will likely have to kill people in exchange. As I pushed send on the button to get his ticket to Paris and his new life, I have no idea how it will turn out. Perhaps he will soar and perhaps he will be destoyed instead. It is impossible to know. But decisions were made with full knowledge of the possible consequences. No rock paper scissors were employed.
Total respect to you. A life well spent and plenty more to go I hope.
Very beautiful piece my dear!! Keep more of these stories coming!! Looking back at those positive experiences in life gives one perspective and a sense of direction!!!
I have been accumulating these stories for over a decade now. For a long time I didn't have much to say. Now I am ready to share my stories. Thanks for being part of my journey brother!
WOW! It's amazing how well it turned out for you man! My former self would have reacted to this post like "What? are you crazy?", but now I see things from a whole different perspective.