Potholes in the journey of life

RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE

I was riding back home one day and didn’t realise there was a large pothole. I didn’t fall, but you know the thud-shock-thud of when you ride through a pothole. The next day, I forgot it was there, but when it got close I slowed down so the effect was less. I took another road on the day after that and avoided it altogether.

That incident got me pondering about life.

Like potholes, there are situations in our life that we try and avoid — like not running into your boss or confronting a person you were hurt by. Sometimes we are caught by surprise and we can’t avoid it — What do we do then? Go through it anyway or turn around and run?

When we have to face the same pothole again, like a relative you despise at a wedding or an interview or a complicated surgery — would it be better if you’re mentally prepared for it so the overall shock factor is alleviated?

We sometimes see a pothole ahead but if it’s too far, we won’t know till we get a little closer. Do we plan our future based on what potholes we may have to encounter or do we take it one road at a time and figure out the way when we arrive at it?

There are places in our minds that we don’t want to visit — some memories that haunt us like potholes that were there long ago but because it was not covered up. When you go down that road again, the thud-shock-thud effect remains the same. How do we fix that?

What if the pothole was covered initially and your ride was smooth but a fresh fall of rain uncovered it and made it deeper this time like a mended heart being broken again? It would take longer to cover it this time and would hurt more.

But you know what the best part about potholes is? No matter how many you have to go through, there is always a smooth road ahead. As for what you can do with them — face, cover or avoid — is entirely upto you.

Well, that’s for the potholes in our head or life. As for those on the road — let’s just hope they fix themselves!