A Fork in the Road

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A few months ago I explored my thoughts around choices in life, after reading Here or There. It's safe to say that during some particularly bad days or weeks I have questioned whether the career I went to university to pursue is actually for me. Whether I had made a mistake thinking I could do it. I also questioned what was stopping me from thinking about making a change - the safer (financially secure) option. Well, a job came up that I felt quite excited about so I applied. It's still within the same 'career' as such but in a different area. Hopefully this position suits me more as I made the decision not to re-apply for my job.

There is less of a fork in the road on the job front, however, I have been worried that there may be one ahead in relation to my friendships. My friends are getting to the stage where they are settling down with their boyfriends, getting married and having babies. My life is not going in that direction at all at the moment, I'm not sure whether I want it to. My worry is that I will have less and less in common with my friends and they will build friendships with people that they do have more in common with.

My fears have been dampened by a change of attitude. A more positive outlook (I'm trying something new). I was genuinely happy for both friends who got engaged last year and for one who found out she was pregnant. That happiness and excitement was expressed through conversations about plans and sending them ideas/inspiration I came across. My worries were lessened when both friends asked me to be one of their bridesmaids, I can't describe how much it meant to me to be asked. It also meant a lot when my friend accepted my offer to take some pregnancy photographs. All these things have enabled me to feel included in the changes in their lives and not left behind.

I was worried that our paths were going to begin to go in different directions but these moments reassure me that our friendships are stronger than that and we can remain friends even when our lives change and grow even if that takes us in different directions.

Have you had a fork in the road in part of your life? How did you decide which road to take?