Y

The title to this post is Y, but it should not be read as the letter, but rather a fork, as in a fork in the road. If I was to ever get a tattoo, which I do not foresee happening anytime soon, I think I’d probably get a Y tattooed on me somewhere, and hopefully I’d be more in shape by then, as it’d help the tattoo look better.

I am extremely fascinated by Y because it represents the traveled roads, and the untraveled roads, and once you choose your road, you can’t turn back, and you’re more than likely to soon encounter another Y, and the loop continues endlessly.

Life is full of decisions, some big and some small, but what we may not realize, is that even some of our smallest decisions can dwarf some of the largest decisions we make, we just don’t know it, either at that moment in time, or ever at all.

To perfectly illustrate this, I’d like to use my former partner as an example. Just before I met her, I was joining a fraternity on our college campus. I had personal conflicts with the fraternity and decided it best to leave. However, had I stayed, I was planning on living in the fraternity house the following semester, but because I left, I was back into student housing. The very first day I walked into our student housing lounge area, I saw her sitting right there on the couch, and from that very moment, I knew I was attracted to her. This Y of living in the fraternity house vs student housing lead me to her at that very moment.

Fast forward now almost 2 years and we’re broken up shortly after we graduate. I was devastated, and lived without purpose for the following month or two. I then encountered another Y, to do something with my life, or to keep being miserable. I decided to do something thank goodness, and I moved to Mexico City to learn Spanish. I moved in with a friend of mine who lived there. I had one of the best times of my life living in Mexico City. I ate amazing food, learned an amazing language, and met some truly remarkable individuals. My friend and I, just like my former partner, didn’t work out either, and after a short period he kicked me out of his home, resulting with me being homeless in Mexico City.

I quickly contacted a friend of mine back in the United States, who was actually from Italy, and had a sister living in Mexico City as well. Thankfully for their kindness, I was provided with a place to stay until I could fly back to the United States. On the day of my departure I couldn’t sleep, and I woke up around 6 A.M., much earlier than my flight time. I stared out the window from the high rise apartment at the fog that blanketed Mexico City. It was still dark out with only a few street lights able to pierce the veil of the fog. It was a truly remarkable view, and it was upon gazing at this view that the idea of Y struck me. Everything in my life for the last 2 years had lead me to that exact place.

1. Had I not left the fraternity, I wouldn’t had moved into student housing.
2. Had I not moved into student housing, I wouldn’t have met my former partner.
3. Had I not had broken up with my former partner, I wouldn’t have got so emotional.
4. Had I not gotten so emotional, I wouldn’t have gone on a “rejuvenation” trip to Mexico.
5. Had I not gone to Mexico, I wouldn’t have had an amazing time and get kicked out.
6. Had I not got kicked out, I would’ve never ended up in my friend’s sister’s apartment.
7. Had I never ended up in my friend’s sister’s apartment, I would’ve never had this moment, this super surreal feeling of Y.

I encourage people to soak in these surreal moments of Y. It’s truly an experience that calms you and makes you realize how amazing life is, and how important your decisions are, no matter how big or small they may seem.